Phaseolus lunatus
- noun
- /ˈfeɪziələs luˈneɪtəs/
- Specialized
:
frijol lima
- Botanists often refer to Phaseolus lunatus when describing the characteristics of lima bean plants.
Examples
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Many traditional Southern dishes use Phaseolus lunatus as a primary ingredient.
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I love Phaseolus lunatus in my salads.
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The farmer planted Phaseolus lunatus in his fields to harvest lima beans in the summer.
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My garden has several Phaseolus lunatuses growing this year.
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The nutritious seeds of Phaseolus lunatus are often used in salads and side dishes for their creamy texture and flavor.
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Farmers in the southern United States cultivate Phaseolus lunatus due to its adaptability to local soil conditions.
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In warm, humid weather, Phaseolus lunatus plants thrive and produce flat edible seeds commonly known as lima beans.
Synonyms
9
2.5
A flat pale green or white bean that people cook and eat
9
2.6
A flat pale green or white bean often used in cooking
1
2.0
A plant that makes large flat beans people cook and eat
A plant that grows pods with large flat beans people eat
A plant that produces large flat seeds called Lima beans
A bush that grows small flat beans you can eat, often served as a vegetable
Surface Forms
Morphology
Phaseolus + lunatus
The first element 'Phaseolus' identifies a genus of beans, so a learner who knows that constituent would infer this is a type of bean. However 'lunatus' is not a common English word (and the species epithet is Latin/descriptive), so the exact sense (and the common name 'lima bean') is not predictable without botanical or Latin knowledge. Because part of the meaning is recoverable (a bean species) but the specific species label is not transparently derivable, the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Phaseolus lunatus may come from Latin words meaning 'little bean' and 'moon-shaped'. Phaseolus is 'little bean' and lunatus is 'moon-like' because the flat seeds often look like small moons, so the name today refers to the lima bean.