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Glite Dictionary
cluster bean

cluster bean

7.8
A plant grown in dry places for edible pods and seeds used to make guar gum
  • noun
  • Indian
translation icon : frijol cluster
  • The seeds of the cluster bean are processed to produce guar gum for the food industry.

Examples

  • She cooked a traditional curry using fresh cluster bean pods from her garden.

  • Farmers in arid regions often grow cluster bean due to its drought resistance.

  • The cluster bean is rich in nutrients.

  • I love eating cluster beans in salads.

  • Farmers in arid regions often grow cluster bean due to its drought tolerance and the nutritious pods.

  • She cooked a traditional curry using fresh cluster bean pods from her garden, highlighting their flavor.

  • The seeds of the cluster bean are processed to produce guar gum, which is widely used as a food thickener.

Synonyms

guar
vscluster bean
2 9.9

A plant that grows in dry places whose seeds make a gum used to thicken food

farmers use it for edible pods eaten as food not only for seeds
Cyamopsis tetragonolobus
vscluster bean
  • Specialized
9.9

A beanlike plant grown in dry areas for seeds used to make guar gum

farmers grow it for edible pods used as food rather than for animal forage

Surface Forms

cluster bean singular
cluster beans plural

Morphology

cluster + bean

The compound 'cluster bean' directly combines 'cluster' (grouped together) and 'bean' (a legume), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a type of bean whose pods/seeds grow in clusters. Specific agricultural uses (e.g., guar gum) are additional encyclopedic information but are not required to understand the basic referent; modifier+noun compounds like this are cross-linguistically common and thus readily transparent.

Etymology

Cluster bean gets its name from the way the bean pods grow in tight clusters along the plant's stem. That's why the name points to a plant people grow for food and to make guar gum.