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definitions

kidney bean

noun
  1. a common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, cultivated in many varieties for its edible seeds and pods.
  2. the mature kidney-shaped seed of this plant.

Origin of kidney bean

First recorded in 1540–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for kidney bean

Historical Examples of kidney bean

  • Haricot, har′i-ko, -kot, n. a kind of ragout or stew of mutton and beans or other vegetables: the kidney-bean or French bean.

  • In the great continent of America, the kidney-bean seed, dried, is freely partaken of.

    Cakes & Ale

    Edward Spencer

  • Moreover he made him a landing net, with a kidney-bean stick, a ring of wire, and his own best nightcap of strong cotton net.

    Crocker's Hole

    R. D. Blackmore

  • Here there was a rail across, about as big as a kidney-bean stick, whereupon they leaned, and looked into the water under them.

    The Maid of Sker

    Richard Doddridge Blackmore

  • The cake has in Slavonic tradition the same importance as the pea, kidney-bean, or cabbage.

British Dictionary definitions for kidney bean

kidney bean

noun
  1. any of certain bean plants having kidney-shaped seeds, esp the French bean and scarlet runner
  2. the seed of any of these beans
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