jumping bean

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noun

the seed of any of certain Mexican plants of the genera Sebastiania and Sapium, of the spurge family: the movements of a moth larva inside the seed cause it to move about or jump.

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Also called Mexican jumping bean.

Origin of jumping bean

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Words nearby jumping bean

jumper, jumper ant, jump flap, jump head, jump in, jumping bean, jumping bristletail, jumping gene, jumping genes, jumping hare, jumping jack

How to use jumping bean in a sentence

But also in The Two Towers, we had the scene where he was jumping on a horse.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A French green bean salad with warm goat cheese reminds Ina Garten of having lunch in Paris.
The Barefoot Contessa’s Tasty Trip to Paris|Ina Garten|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But his voice never seems to crack or weaken, and he's always in motion—jiggling, aerobic walking, jumping, dancing.
The Stacks: Pauline Kael's Talking Heads Obsession|Pauline Kael|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The problem is that those restrictions—like jumping from a 24- to a 72-hour waiting period—seem fairly arbitrary.
Abortion in Missouri Is the Wait of a Lifetime|Justin Glawe|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Also making appearances in the early Garfield specials are the original Bilbo Baggins, Orson Bean, and a pre-Cheers George Wendt.
Garfield Television: The Cat Who Saved Primetime Cartoons|Rich Goldstein|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Every few days after that the boy took Squinty out of his pen, and let him do the rope-jumping and the acorn-hunting tricks.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
One of Yung Pak's favourite toys was a wooden jumping-jack with a pasteboard tongue.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Jumping up, he presented at the giraffe, which was galloping off about two hundred yards ahead.
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
Once even a blue bean (a bullet) made sad work with my head, and my fist has got a deuce of a smashing.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
This is better than frightening them out of their skins by jumping out from behind a door and saying "Boo."
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various

British Dictionary definitions for jumping bean

jumping bean

noun

a seed of any of several Mexican euphorbiaceous plants, esp species of Sebastiania, that contains a moth caterpillar whose movements cause it to jerk about

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012