lima bean

American  

[lahy-muh] / ˈlaɪ mə /

noun

1. a bean, Phaseolus limensis, having a broad, flat, edible seed.

2. the seed, used for food.

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lima bean British  

/ ˈliː-, ˈlaɪmə /

noun

1. any of several varieties of the bean plant, Phaseolus lunatus (or P. limensis ), native to tropical America but cultivated in the US for its flat pods containing pale green edible seeds

2. the seed of such a plant

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Etymology

Origin of lima bean

1810–20; named after Lima, Peru

Example Sentences

When presented with the problem in the past, builders and developers were able to turn lima bean fields and orange groves into row after row of homes.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

Brown herself is a genius of soup — her superb corn chowder, served last winter, and more recent buttery-rich lima bean stew both rate as legitimately thrilling and, inconceivably, vegan.

From Seattle Times • May 1, 2022

Jackie Freeman's cauliflower and lima bean gratin is a similar recipe — use either as a jumping-off point based on what you have in your own fridge and pantry.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2022

And the CT scan revealed a growth about the size of a lima bean on his pituitary.

From New York Times • Dec. 29, 2021

She wished she wasn’t shy, that she wasn’t shaped like a lima bean, and that her left ear didn’t stick out farther than her right.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett