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Glite Dictionary
soya bean

soya bean

2.4
A plant with seeds used to make food, oil, and animal feed
  • noun
  • /ˈsoʊjə biːn/
  • UK
translation icon : frijol de soja
  • Many vegetarians rely on soya bean products as a primary source of protein.

Examples

  • Tofu is made from soya bean curd and is a popular meat substitute.

  • I love eating soya beans in my salads.

  • Farmers often rotate corn and soya bean crops to maintain soil fertility.

  • The soya bean is rich in protein.

  • Soya beans are an important source of protein in many vegetarian diets.

  • Farmers are increasingly growing soya beans for their oil and meal.

  • Soya beans can be processed into tofu and soy milk for various recipes.

Synonyms

soy
vssoya bean
  • US
68 1.2

A plant that produces edible seeds used for food, oil, and animal feed

is the broad common name for that crop
soybean
vssoya bean
  • US
57 1.8

A plant grown for its beans used to make food, animal feed, and oil

is the general common name used for that plant
soya
vssoya bean
  • UK
1 2.3

A bushy plant that makes beans used for food and oil

is the standard general term used across contexts
Glycine max
vssoya bean
  • Specialized
7.3

A plant also called soybean that is grown for edible seeds used for food and oil

is the common everyday name rather than a scientific label
soja bean
vssoya bean
  • UK
2.8

A bushy plant grown for small edible seeds used for food and oil

is the general name without emphasizing plant form or traits
soja
vssoya bean
  • UK
8.9

A bushy plant that makes oil-rich seeds used for food and animal feed

focuses more simply on the plant as food and oil source
soybean plant
vssoya bean
2.9

A plant that makes beans used for food and oil

identifies the same crop by use rather than detailed appearance
field soybean
vssoya bean
4.3

A soybean grown mainly to feed farm animals

is the general plant term used for various uses including human food

Surface Forms

soya bean singular
soya beans plural

Morphology

soya + bean

The meaning 'a bean from the soya plant' is directly and compositionally derived from 'soya' (the legume plant) + 'bean' (edible seed). This type of noun compound is cross-linguistically common and follows transparent compounding rules, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

The noun soya bean may come from the name for 'soy sauce' in Japan. When Europeans first met the sauce, they later used the same word for the plant that makes it, so soya bean now means the plant with edible seeds used for food and oil.