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Bean

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bean¹

  • /ˈbi(ː)n/
  • [ˈbɪin]

Sounds like (dialectal) been, being · Rhymes with -iːn

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰabʰ-?

Proto-Germanic *babnōder.?

Proto-Germanic *baunō

Proto-West Germanic *baunu

Old English bēan

Middle English bene

English bean

From Middle English bene, from Old English bēan, from Proto-West Germanic *baunu, from Proto-Germanic *baunō (“bean”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰabʰ- (“bean”).

Cognate with Scots bene, bein (“bean”), North Frisian buan, Saterland Frisian Boone, West Frisian bean, beanne, Dutch boon, German Bohne, Luxembourgish Boun, Danish bønne, Faroese bøn, bøna, Icelandic baun, Norwegian Bokmål bønne, Norwegian Nynorsk bauna, baune, bogna, bønne, Swedish böna, Irish pónaire, Manx poanrey, Scottish Gaelic pònair, Latin faba, Russian боб (bob), Serbo-Croatian bȍb /бо̏б. Doublet of fava.

noun beans

  1. Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods. 2004, T. N. Shivenanda, B. R. V. Iyengar, Phosphorus Management in French Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.), Ramdane Dris, S. Mohan Jain (editors), Production Practices and Quality Assessment of Food Crops, Volume 2: Plant Mineral Nutrition and Pesticide Management, page 79, Beans are a large group of le
  2. The large edible seed of such a plant (for example, a broad bean, navy bean, or garbanzo bean).
  3. The edible seedpod of such a plant. Green beans, also called French beans, can be pickled.
  4. broadly The bean-like seed of certain other plants, such as a vanilla bean or (especially) a coffee bean.
  5. broadly An object resembling a pea or bean in shape, often made from plastic or styrofoam and used in large numbers as packing material or as stuffing for beanbags and similar items.
  6. slang The head or brain. Now, there was a perfectly sound forecast for you. Certainly a case of using the old bean. The surmise was perfectly logical.
  7. slang The human clitoris. For one, don't stage a full-frontal assault on her bean.
  8. endearing, often, slang A person; especially, a baby. Sparky is a good bean, even if he is a carpet-bagging bean at that.
  9. UK, archaic, slang A guinea coin or sovereign.
  10. UK, slang Money. I haven't got a bean.
  11. abbreviation, clipping Clipping of JavaBean.JavaBean The singerOne bean has values for both the name and age properties, so it passes through the init() method with absolutely no changes.
  12. slang Any form of tablet, especially benzedrine (benny). Once the bean kicked in I started wilding.
  13. abbreviation, clipping, colloquial Clipping of toe bean.toe bean

verb beans · beaning · beaned

  1. transitive To hit with a projectile, especially a deliberately aimed blow to the head. The pitcher beaned the batter, rather than letting him hit another home run.

Bean²

  • /biːn/

Sounds like bean, been · Rhymes with -iːn

Where it comes from

Probably an occupational surname for a bean farmer, from bean.

proper noun

  1. A surname.
  2. A village and civil parish in Dartford borough, Kent, England (OS grid ref TQ5872).

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