Also see definition of "bean" in Bible Study Dictionaries
Word Study
bean
CIDE DICTIONARY
bean, n. [OE. bene, AS. beán; akin to D. boon, G. bohne, OHG. p, Icel. baun, Dan. bönne, Sw. böna, and perh. to Russ. bob, L. faba.].
- A name given to the seed of certain leguminous herbs, chiefly of the genera
Faba ,Phaseolus , andDolichos ; also, to the herbs. [1913 Webster]" The origin and classification of many kinds are still doubtful. Among true beans are: the black-eyed bean and China bean, included inDolichos Sinensis ; black Egyptian bean or hyacinth bean,Dolichos Lablab ; the common haricot beans, kidney beans, string beans, and pole beans, all included inPhaseolus vulgaris ; the lower bush bean,Phaseolus vulgaris , varietynanus ; Lima bean,Phaseolus lunatus ; Spanish bean and scarlet runner,Phaseolus multiflorus ; Windsor bean, the common bean of England,Faba vulgaris ." [1913 Webster] - The popular name of other vegetable seeds or fruits, more or less resembling true beans. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
bean, n. & v.
--n.
1 a any kind of leguminous plant with edible usu. kidney-shaped seeds in long pods. b one of these seeds.
2 a similar seed of coffee and other plants.
3 US sl. the head.
4 (in pl.; with neg.) US sl. anything at all (doesn't know beans about it).
--v.tr. US sl. hit on the head.
--n.
1 a any kind of leguminous plant with edible usu. kidney-shaped seeds in long pods. b one of these seeds.
2 a similar seed of coffee and other plants.
3 US sl. the head.
4 (in pl.; with neg.) US sl. anything at all (doesn't know beans about it).
--v.tr. US sl. hit on the head.
Idiom
bean curd jelly or paste made from beans, used esp. in Asian cookery. bean sprout a sprout of a bean seed, esp. of the mung bean, used as food. full of beans colloq. lively; in high spirits. not a bean Brit. sl. no money. old bean Brit. sl. a friendly form of address, usu. to a man.
Etymology
OE bean f. Gmc
THESAURUS
bean
Irish potato, Kraut, a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, algae, aubergine, autophyte, bagatelle, bauble, beans, belfry, bibelot, bit, bracken, brain, brass farthing, brow, brown algae, button, cabbage, cent, climber, conferva, confervoid, conk, creeper, crown, curio, diatom, dome, eggplant, encephalon, farce, farthing, feather, fern, fig, fleabite, folderol, fribble, frippery, fruits and vegetables, fucus, fungus, gaud, gewgaw, gimcrack, grapevine, gray matter, green algae, greens, gulfweed, hair, halfpenny, head, headpiece, herb, heterophyte, hill of beans, ivy, jest, joke, kelp, kickshaw, knickknack, knickknackery, legume, legumes, lentil, liana, lichen, liverwort, love apple, mad apple, minikin, mockery, mold, molehill, moss, mushroom, noddle, noggin, noodle, organ of thought, parasite, parasitic plant, pate, pea, peppercorn, perthophyte, phytoplankton, picayune, pieplant, pin, pinch of snuff, pinprick, planktonic algae, plant families, poll, potato, potherbs, produce, puffball, pulse, rap, red algae, red cent, rhubarb, ridge, rockweed, row of pins, rush, rust, saprophyte, sargasso, sargassum, sconce, sea lentil, sea moss, sea wrack, seat of thought, seaweed, sensation, sensorium, sensory, shit, smut, snap, sneeshing, sou, spud, straw, succulent, tater, toadstool, tomato, toy, trifle, trinket, triviality, tuppence, two cents, twopence, vegetables, vetch, vine, whim-wham, white potato, wort, wrackAlso see definition of "bean" in Bible Study Dictionaries
For further exploring for "bean" in Webster Dictionary Online