bean

plural beans

1. Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods.

   1 more example

   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 leguminous vegetables that serve as a main source of proteins in human diet. This group comprises several species and some of them are Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis); Broad bean (Vicia faba); Cluster bean (Cyamposis tetragonoloba); French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris); […] .

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. broadlyThe bean-like seed of certain other plants, such as a vanilla bean or (especially) a coffee bean.
5. broadlyAn 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. slangThe 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.

   1959, Maxwell Droke, You and the World to Come, page 173

   1 more example

   I saw her quiver and kept a wary eye on the ginger ale bottle. But even if she had raised it and brought it down on [my] bean, I couldn't have been more stunned than I was by the words that left her lips. [...] Well, as I say, it was from his fertile bean that the idea sprang.

   1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XI and XV

   Synonyms: noggin

7. slangThe human clitoris.

   For one, don't stage a full-frontal assault on her bean.

   2010, Cynthia W. Gentry, Dana Fredst, What Women Really Want in Bed: The Surprising Secrets Women Wish Men Knew about Sex, Quiver, published 2010, →ISBN, page 64

8. endearingoftenslangA person; especially, a baby.

   Sparky is a good bean, even if he is a carpet-bagging bean at that.

   2000 April 9, Richard G Cheek, “Apologies, DimWit Dana”, in talk.politics.guns (Usenet)

   2 more examples

   i dont want boid (whoever said that) he is mean. boid is a mean bean.

   2002 March 21, Yena, "oh my bloody god boys!", microsoft.public.xbox, Usenet

   "Good, because we like you. You're okay. You're a good bean." "I never thought I'd be friends with a cheerleader," I said.

   2007, Alex Bradley, Hot Lunch, Penguin, →ISBN

9. UKarchaicslangA guinea coin or sovereign.
10. UKslangMoney.

    I haven't got a bean.

11. abbreviationclippingJava programming languageClipping of JavaBean.

    The singerOne bean has values for both the name and age properties, so it passes through the init() method with absolutely no changes.

    2017, Iuliana Cosmina, Rob Harrop, Chris Schaefer, Clarence Ho, Pro Spring 5, 5th edition, Apress, →ISBN, page 131

12. slangAny form of tablet, especially benzedrine (benny).

    Once the bean kicked in I started wilding.

    2022, Sean Thor Conroe, Fuccboi, Hachette, →ISBN

13. abbreviationclippingcolloquialtypically in the pluralClipping of toe bean.

present singular third person beans · participle present beaning · participle past beaned · past beaned

1. transitiveball gamesTo 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.

   1 more example

   Though I shall have to exercise an iron self-restraint to keep me from beaning that pie-faced little hornswoggler Mrs Bertram Wooster, nee Wickham, with the shaker. […] ¶ dudgeon might easily lead her to reach for the ginger ale bottle and bean me with it.

   1960, P. G. Wodehouse, “IX–XI”, in Jeeves in the Offing

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