screw bean

noun

1. a tree, Prosopis pubescens, of the legume family, native to the southwestern U.S., bearing twisted pods used as fodder.
2. the pod itself.

Word History and Origins

Origin of screw bean¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg