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Glite Dictionary
sword bean

sword bean

9.9
A tropical climbing plant with long pods containing beans used as food in Asian cooking
  • noun
  • /sɔrd bin/
  • Indian
translation icon : judía espada
  • In traditional Asian cooking, sword bean is often used in stews and soups.

Examples

  • The farmer planted sword bean to diversify his crops this year.

  • Botanists studied the growth patterns of the sword bean in tropical climates.

  • The sword bean is rich in protein.

  • Have you ever tasted sword beans?

  • In traditional Asian cooking, sword bean is often used in stews and soups.

  • The farmer planted sword bean to diversify his crops this year.

  • Botanists studied the growth patterns of the sword bean in tropical climates.

Synonyms

pole bean
vssword bean
1 3.8

A climbing bean plant that wraps around supports like poles or trellises

is the specific species rather than a general climbing bean category
runner bean
vssword bean
  • UK
1 3.7

A climbing plant with long green pods and red flowers grown for food

is a plant with red or brown beans rather than green pods
Canavalia gladiata
vssword bean
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical climbing plant with long pods and beans that people eat in parts of Asia

is the common or everyday name for that same plant used as food

Surface Forms

sword bean singular
sword beans plural

Morphology

sword + bean

This is a straightforward noun–noun compound where the head 'bean' is modified by 'sword', so the meaning (a type of bean characterized by a sword‑like/long pod) is compositionally predictable. The lexical parts map directly onto the referent (an edible legume with long pods), a pattern cross‑linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows 'sword' and 'bean' would likely infer the basic meaning.

Etymology

Sword bean comes from the plant's long, flat pods that look like a small sword, and the seeds inside are the bean part of the name. That's why the name refers to this climbing plant and its edible seeds.