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Glite Dictionary
Bengal bean

Bengal bean

9.1
A climbing plant with purple flowers and long hairy pods used to improve soil and feed animals
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : frijol bengalí
  • The farmer planted Bengal bean along the fence to improve the soil.

Examples

  • Bengal bean produces attractive clusters of purple flowers in late summer.

  • Farmers in the South often grow Bengal beans for their soil.

  • Livestock graze on Bengal bean after the pods have matured.

  • The Bengal bean is a popular choice for gardeners.

  • The farmer planted Bengal bean along the fence to improve the soil.

  • Livestock graze on Bengal bean after the pods have matured.

  • Bengal bean produces attractive clusters of purple flowers in late summer.

Synonyms

velvet bean
vsBengal bean
7.9

A climbing plant with purple flowers and hairy pods grown to improve soil and feed animals

has pods that are hairy but less densely covered
Florida bean
vsBengal bean
  • Specialized
8.9

A climbing plant people grow to feed animals and improve soil

is cultivated in the region but described in broader general terms
cowage
vsBengal bean
  • Indian
9.9

A climbing plant from Asia with long purple flower clusters and hairy pods used to improve soil and feed animals

has flowers described as purplish, a milder color description
Benghal bean
vsBengal bean
  • Archaic
9.1

A woody climbing plant with purple flowers and hairy pods that farmers grow to feed animals and improve soil

is described as a climbing vine and not specifically woody
Mucuna pruriens utilis
vsBengal bean
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical vine grown as a cover crop to improve soil and feed animals

is the broader plant group rather than one cultivated variety
Mucuna aterrima
vsBengal bean
  • Specialized
9.9

A climbing plant with purple flowers and hairy pods grown to enrich soil and feed animals

is specified as cultivated in the southern United States rather than broadly warm regions
Mucuna deeringiana
vsBengal bean
  • Specialized
9.9

A one-year woody climbing plant with purple flower clusters and hairy pods grown to improve soil and feed animals

is given as a common name description rather than a specific scientific label
Stizolobium deeringiana
vsBengal bean
  • Specialized
9.9

A fast-growing vine with purple flowers and hairy pods used as food for animals and to improve soil

is described using the common or broader plant description not that genus name

Surface Forms

Bengal bean singular
Bengal beans plural

Morphology

Bengal + bean

This is a straightforward geographic modifier + noun compound: a B1 learner who knows 'Bengal' (a place) and 'bean' (a legume) will readily infer it denotes a type of bean associated with Bengal. Although the detailed botanical description (climbing vine, hairy pods) is not derivable from the constituents, the core sense 'a bean from/related to Bengal' is fully compositional and cross-linguistically transparent.

Etymology

Bengal bean probably gets its name from the Bengal region in Asia and from its bean-like pods. The word Bengal points to where it came from and bean describes its long, hairy pods, so the name now refers to a climbing vine grown to improve the soil and feed animals.