bean

[been] /bin/
noun
1.
the edible nutritious seed of various plants of the legume family, especially of the genus Phaseolus.
2.
a plant producing such seeds.
3.
the pod of such a plant, especially when immature and eaten as a vegetable.
4.
any of various other beanlike seeds or plants, as the coffee bean.
5.
Slang.
  1. a person's head.
  2. a coin or a bank note considered as a coin:
    I can't pay for the ticket, I don't have a bean in my jeans.
6.
British Informal. a minimum amount of money:
They've been disinherited and now haven't a bean.
7.
beans, Informal. the slightest amount:
He doesn't know beans about navigation.
verb (used with object)
8.
Slang. to hit on the head, especially with a baseball.
interjection
9.
beans, (used to express disbelief, annoyance, etc.).
Idioms
10.
full of beans, Informal.
  1. energetic; vigorously active; vital:
    He is still full of beans at 95.
  2. stupid; erroneous; misinformed.
11.
spill the beans, Informal. to disclose a secret, either accidentally or imprudently, thereby ruining a surprise or plan:
He spilled the beans, and she knew all about the party in advance.
Origin
before 950; Middle English bene, Old English bēan; cognate with Old Norse baun, Old Frisian bāne, Dutch boon, Old Saxon, Old High German bona (German Bohne), probably < Germanic *babnō, cognate with Russian bob, Latin faba < European Indo-European *bhabh-
Related forms
beanlike, adjective
Can be confused
bean, been, Ben, bin.
Examples from the web for beans
  • beans and sunflowers were started from seed, following package instructions.
  • Apparently, it makes a certain ubiquitous chain's burned beans taste less bitter.
  • She could spill the beans and let students know things were unstable, but she chose not too.
  • The table is dominated by an enormous bowl of jelly beans with a soup ladle inside.
  • The beans managed to be soft without getting all mushy, and they were seasoned enough to enliven the bland tortillas.
  • Pictures of green beans and carrots on cafeteria trays resulted in more kids eating more veggies.
  • If you want to guess how many jelly beans are in a jar, you should ask your friends.
  • From each point of the circle begin two beans of light.
  • Coffee beans are fresh when they come out of the roaster.
  • But one jumped off the page, screaming my name: red beans and rice.
British Dictionary definitions for beans

bean

/biːn/
noun
1.
any of various leguminous plants of the widely cultivated genus Phaseolus producing edible seeds in pods See French bean, lima bean, scarlet runner, string bean
2.
any of several other leguminous plants that bear edible pods or seeds, such as the broad bean and soya bean
3.
any of various other plants whose seeds are produced in pods or podlike fruits
4.
the seed or pod of any of these plants
5.
any of various beanlike seeds, such as coffee
6.
(US & Canadian, slang) another word for head
7.
(slang) cool beans, excellent; impressive
8.
(slang) not have a bean, to be without money: I haven't got a bean
9.
(informal) full of beans
  1. full of energy and vitality
  2. (US) mistaken; erroneous
10.
(informal) spill the beans, to disclose something confidential
verb
11.
(mainly US & Canadian, slang) (transitive) to hit (a person) on the head
Word Origin
Old English bēan; related to Old Norse baun, Old Frisian bāne, Old High German bōna bean
Word Origin and History for beans

bean

n.

Old English bean "bean, pea, legume," from Proto-Germanic *bauno (cf. Old Norse baun, Middle Dutch bone, Dutch boon, Old High German bona, German Bohne), perhaps from a PIE reduplicated base *bha-bha- and related to Latin faba "bean."

As a metaphor for "something of small value" it is attested from c.1300. Meaning "head" is U.S. baseball slang c.1905 (in bean-ball "a pitch thrown at the head"); thus slang verb bean meaning "to hit on the head," attested from 1910.

The notion of lucky or magic beans in English folklore is from the exotic beans or large seeds that wash up occasionally in Cornwall and western Scotland, carried from the Caribbean or South America by the Gulf Stream. They were cherished, believed to ward off the evil eye and aid in childbirth.

Slang bean-counter "accountant" recorded by 1971. To not know beans (American English, 1933) is perhaps from the "of little worth" sense, but may have a connection to colloquial expression recorded around Somerset, to know how many beans make five "be a clever fellow."

Slang definitions & phrases for beans

beans

interjection

An exclamation of disbelief or contempt (1900s+)

noun

Nothing; a minimal amount; diddly: I wouldn't give you beans for that idea/ She would get all of her famous friends to appear and pay them beans

Related Terms

full of beans, a hill of beans, know one's onions, not know beans

[1830s+; A bean in this sense is attested fr the 1200s. Semantically the same as bubkes]


bean

noun
  1. A five-dollar gold piece (1850s+ Underworld)
  2. A dollar: without a coat on his back or a bean in his pocket (1900+)
  3. A poker chip (1900+ Gambling)
  4. The head, esp the human head and brain: Whistling at a crook is not near as effective as to crack him on the bean with a hickory stick (1900+)
  5. A person of Spanish-American background, esp a Chicano (1920+)
verb

To strike someone on the head, esp to hit a baseball batter on the head with a pitch: Not the first time I've been beaned (1910+)

Related Terms

full of beans, jellybean, loose in the bean, mean bean, spill the beans, use one's head


beans in the Bible

mentioned in 2 Sam. 17:28 as having been brought to David when flying from Absalom. They formed a constituent in the bread Ezekiel (4:9) was commanded to make, as they were in general much used as an article of diet. They are extensively cultivated in Egypt and Arabia and Syria.

Idioms and Phrases with beans

bean

see: