soybean

especially British, soy·a bean

[soi-been]

noun

1. a bushy Old World plant, Glycine max, of the legume family, cultivated globally, with greatest productivity in the United States, where it is grown chiefly for forage and soil improvement.

2. the seed of this plant, used for food, as a livestock feed, and for a variety of other commercial uses.

Word History and Origins

Origin of soybean¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; soy + bean

Example Sentences

Some Chinese firms are now buying their soybeans from Brazil rather than America, he says; they may not quickly return.

From BBC

Some denser layouts will block too much sun for staple crops including wheat, rice, soybeans or pulses.

From BBC

A day earlier he called on Beijing to increase its purchases of US soybeans.

From BBC

China has traditionally been a significant global importer of soybeans from the US, which it uses as fodder for its 440 million pigs.

From BBC

The same multinational corporations that sold Iowa soybeans to China are now down to Brazil, selling Brazilian soybeans to China, and here we are without a good chunk of that market share.

From Salon