Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🌱 A bean plant 🥗 An edible seed
broad bean

broad bean

2.2
An upright plant grown for its large flat edible seeds and food for animals
  • noun
  • /brɔd bin/
  • UK
translation icon : haba
  • Farmers often use broad beans as fodder for livestock as well as for human consumption.

Examples

  • We grew broad beans in our garden last spring and enjoyed a delicious harvest.

  • The broad bean thrives in cooler climates and is a staple in Mediterranean cuisine.

  • I bought some fresh broad beans at the market.

  • The broad bean plant grows well in cool weather.

  • Farmers often use broad beans as fodder for livestock and for human consumption.

  • The broad bean thrives in cooler climates and is commonly found in Mediterranean dishes.

  • We grew broad beans in our garden last spring and enjoyed a great harvest.

Synonyms

fava
vsbroad bean
6 4.6

A type of broad bean used in Mediterranean cooking

is the broader plant term not limited to culinary use
fava bean
vsbroad bean
  • US
5 3.1

A large flat seed from the broad bean plant that people cook and eat

focuses on the whole plant rather than just the seed
broad-bean plant
vsbroad bean
  • UK
4.7

A garden plant grown for its large flat beans that people or animals eat

is the general name for that same plant
Vicia faba
vsbroad bean
  • Specialized
8.1

A plant from Europe and Asia that makes large flat beans people and animals eat

is the common general word used for the same species
English bean
vsbroad bean
  • UK
3.0

A large flat bean that people cook and eat, also called fava

is the widely used common name for that plant
field bean
vsbroad bean
  • UK
5.6

A tall plant grown for large flat seeds eaten by people and fed to animals

highlights the same plant without stressing field cultivation
European bean
vsbroad bean
  • UK
4.2

A plant from Europe that produces large flat seeds eaten by people and fed to animals

is the general plant term without regional emphasis
horse bean
vsbroad bean
  • UK
7.8

A type of broad bean grown to feed animals

is the general plant term used for both food and fodder

Surface Forms

broad bean singular
broad beans plural

Morphology

broad + bean

The meaning 'a large, flat edible seed' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'broad' (wide/large across) with 'bean' (edible seed). This adjective + noun compound follows a straightforward compositional pattern and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Broad bean is named for the plant that makes large, flat seeds because the word broad describes the wide bean. Farmers often used the whole plant as food for animals and people, so the name came to mean the plant itself.