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screw bean

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noun
a tree, Prosopis pubescens, of the legume family, native to the southwestern U.S., bearing twisted pods used as fodder.
the pod itself.
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Also called tornillo.

Origin of screw bean

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Words nearby screw bean

screw, screw around, screw auger, screw axis, screwball, screw bean, screw cap, screw conveyor, screwdriver, screwed, screw eye
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use screw bean in a sentence

  • By the fork of the creek where the shepherds camp is a single clump of mesquite of the variety called "screw bean."

    The Land of Little Rain|Mary Austin

  • The screw-bean or screw-pod mesquite is a small slender-trunked tree with sharp spines at the bases of the hoary foliage.

    Trees Worth Knowing|Julia Ellen Rogers
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