Definition of BEAN

bean

Plural: beans

Noun

  • any of various edible seeds of plants of the family Leguminosae used for food
  • any of various seeds or fruits that are beans or resemble beans
  • any of various leguminous plants grown for their edible seeds and pods
  • informal terms for a human head
  • Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods.
  • The large edible seed of such a plant (for example, a broad bean, navy bean, or garbanzo bean).
  • The edible seedpod of such a plant.
  • The bean-like seed of certain other plants, such as a vanilla bean or (especially) a coffee bean.
  • 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.
  • The head or brain.
  • The human clitoris.
  • A person; especially, a baby.
  • A guinea coin or sovereign.
  • Money.
  • Clipping of JavaBean.
  • Any form of tablet, especially benzedrine (benny).
  • A toe bean.

Verb

Verb Forms: beaned, beening, beans

  • To hit someone on the head with an object.
  • hit on the head, especially with a pitched baseball
  • To hit with a projectile, especially a deliberately aimed blow to the head.

Examples

  • Green beans, also called French beans, can be pickled.
  • He wanted to bean himself with the tile bag after missing the obvious bingo.
  • I haven't got a bean.
  • The pitcher beaned the batter, rather than letting him hit another home run.

Origin / Etymology

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

Synonyms

attic, bean plant, bonce, dome, edible bean, noggin, noodle

Scrabble Score: 6

bean: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
bean: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
bean: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

bean: valid Words With Friends Word