bean

bean
bean (n.) O.E. bean "bean, pea, legume," from P.Gmc. *bauno (Cf. O.N. baun, M.Du. bone, Du. boon, O.H.G. bona, Ger. Bohne), perhaps from a PIE reduplicated base *bha-bha- and related to L. faba "bean." As a metaphor for "something of small value" it is attested from c.1300. Meaning "head" is U.S. baseball slang c.1905 (in bean-ball "a pitch thrown at the head"); thus slang verb bean meaning "to hit on the head," attested from 1910.
The notion of lucky or magic beans in English folklore is from the exotic beans or large seeds that wash up occasionally in Cornwall and western Scotland, carried from the Caribbean or South America by the Gulf Stream. They were cherished, believed to ward off the evil eye and aid in childbirth. Slang bean-counter "accountant" recorded by 1971. To not know beans (Amer.Eng. 1933) is perhaps from the "of little worth" sense, but may have a connection to colloquial expression recorded around Somerset, to know how many beans make five "be a clever fellow."

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Bean — is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) used for human food or animal feed. Although beans usually means the seeds of bean plants, it can also mean (especially in the US) the whole… …   Wikipedia

  • Bean — (b[=e]n), n. [OE. bene, AS. be[ a]n; akin to D. boon, G. bohne, OHG. p[=o]na, Icel. baun, Dan. b[ o]nne, Sw. b[ o]na, and perh. to Russ. bob, L. faba.] 1. (Bot.) A name given to the seed of certain leguminous herbs, chiefly of the genera {Faba},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bean — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Alan LaVern Bean (* 1932), US amerikanischer Astronaut Alexander Bean (15. Jahrhundert), Oberhaupt einer schottischen kannibalistischen Familie Benning M. Bean (1782–1866), US amerikanischer Politiker… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • bean — [bēn] n. [ME ben < OE bean; akin to ON baun, Ger bohne < ? IE * bhabhā > L faba, bean] 1. any of various leguminous plants; esp., any of several species of a genus (Phaseolus) of the pea family, including the kidney bean and lima bean 2 …   English World dictionary

  • Bean — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Abreviatura científica del botánico William Jackson Bean 1863 1947 Un Bean es un componente software que tiene la particularidad de ser reutilizable y así evitar la tediosa tarea de programar los distintos… …   Wikipedia Español

  • bean — bean; bean·ery; bean·ie; bean·shooter; bean·town·er; …   English syllables

  • bean|o — bean|o1 «BEE noh», noun, plural bean|os. = bingo. (Cf. ↑bingo) ╂[American English, probably < bean, patterned on keno] bean|o2 «BEE noh», noun, plural bean|os. British Slang. a noisy frolic or spree …   Useful english dictionary

  • bean — ► NOUN 1) an edible seed growing in long pods on certain plants. 2) the hard seed of a coffee or cocoa plant. 3) informal a very small amount or nothing at all: there is not a bean of truth in the report. 4) informal, dated a person s head. ►… …   English terms dictionary

  • Bean —    Comédie de Mel Smith, avec Rowan Atkinson, Peter MacNicol, Pamela Reed.   Pays: Grande Bretagne   Date de sortie: 1997   Technique: couleurs   Durée: 1 h 30    Résumé    Gardien de musée paresseux et inculte, Bean est envoyé à une inauguration …   Dictionnaire mondial des Films

  • bean|y — «BEE nee», adjective, noun, plural bean|ies. –adj. 1. having the flavor of beans. 2. full of beans. –n. = beanie. (Cf. ↑beanie) …   Useful english dictionary

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