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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.


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

"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

Etymology

Origin of lima bean

1810–20; named after Lima, Peru

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

As she skillfully snapped lima bean pods off the bushes at her farm, another woman said about voting: “My husband never did; I never did.”

From Washington Post • Oct. 9, 2019

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

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