castor bean

American  

noun

1. the seed of the castor-oil plant.

2. castor-oil plant.

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castor bean British  

noun

1. another name for castor-oil plant

2. the seed of this plant

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Other Word Forms

• castor-bean adjective

Etymology

Origin of castor bean

1810–20, short for castor-oil bean

Example Sentences

The invasive species they brought — like black mustard, tree tobacco and castor bean — slowly crept into the ecosystem.

From Los Angeles Times

“Those, over there, are actually castor bean stalks,” Kleckner said as we zoomed past.

From Los Angeles Times

Around 90% of oil is valuable for industrial uses in crops like castor beans, Bates said.

From Science Daily

The researchers looked at a species of tick called the castor bean tick, which is common across Europe.

From Seattle Times

Other formulas are based on plant oils, including castor bean, cedarwood, clove and peppermint.

From Seattle Times