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Glite Dictionary
butter bean

butter bean

1 2.0
A plant that makes large flat beans people cook and eat
  • noun
  • /ˈbʌtər biːn/
  • US
translation icon : frijol mantequilla
  • I was shelling butter beans into a newspaper, sitting on the screened porch.
  • butter beans and peas
  • butter beans and okra
  • butter beans and biscuits

And a big part of the the dinner was a tin of butter beans.

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Examples

  • So the butter beans are going in, then also the chopped tomatoes and of course the COD.

  • I do not like butter beans (lima beans?) to this day because I picked and shelled so many of them.

    Blog text (14)

  • But when Aunt Amanda cut them up into small pieces and put them in the butter beans, they were delicious to eat.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Did you come for some of Grandma's butter bean dumplings?

    Bolt (2008)

  • Aunt Harriet's friend Uncle Eddie brings butter beans and chicken to fry and a bright golden smile ("in our hungry times we got Joe Louis").

    Fiction book (1990)

  • I also love there's something so for me nostalgic about combining butter beans, like the, the yellow beans, the wax beans and green beans.

    MIgardener

  • Thursday, Otis Jr.'s mother came up and sat on the front porch with us while we shelled butter beans for supper.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • At the picnic, we enjoyed a delicious salad made with fresh butter beans and tomatoes.

  • For dinner, she prepared a hearty soup featuring butter beans and vegetables.

  • He loves to serve butter beans alongside cornbread at family gatherings.

Synonyms

bean
vsbutter bean
512 1.0

An edible seed or pod from plants like peas and lentils used for food

is the particular regional small flat type rather than the general seed category
lima bean
vsbutter bean
9 2.5

A flat pale green or white bean that people cook and eat

is the southern small flat variety similar in shape but often different color
butterbean
vsbutter bean
1 2.6

A small flat bean with a mild taste used as a vegetable

is the plant and regional variety rather than only the edible seed
bean plant
vsbutter bean
1 1.4

A plant that produces beans you can eat

is the specific southern small flat crop rather than plants in general
Phaseolus lunatus
vsbutter bean
  • Specialized
7.6

A bush plant that grows small flat edible lima beans

is the common regional term for this plant rather than the scientific name
butter-bean plant
vsbutter bean
  • US
4.5

A bush that grows small flat beans you can eat, often served as a vegetable

is the general regional name for plant and its seeds
lima bean plant
vsbutter bean
2.8

A plant that grows pods with large flat beans people eat

is the smaller seeded regional form rather than one producing large seeds

Surface Forms

butter bean singular
butter beans plural

Morphology

butter + bean

The phrase denotes a type/variety of bean and is compositionally built from 'butter' modifying 'bean' (suggesting a buttery colour/texture or cultivar). This is a straightforward descriptive compound following common adjective-noun/compound naming patterns for foods, not an idiom, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a kind of bean.

Etymology

Butter bean likely comes from the way the cooked bean is soft and smooth, almost like butter. So the name points to the bean's rich, soft quality and now simply means this kind of edible bean.