Skip to main content
golden gram

golden gram

7.1
A small green seed from the mung bean plant that is eaten or sprouted
  • noun
  • /ˈɡoʊldən ɡræm/
  • Indian
translation icon : grama dorada
  • In many Asian recipes, golden gram is sprouted and used in salads or stir-fries.

Examples

  • The farmer harvested several bags of golden gram after the rainy season.

  • Health enthusiasts often add golden gram to their soups for extra protein.

  • I bought some golden gram at the market.

  • The golden gram is rich in protein.

  • Many people enjoy using golden gram in their smoothies for added nutrition.

  • In Indian cuisine, golden gram is commonly used to make delicious snacks and dishes.

  • You can find golden gram at health food stores or local markets as a healthy ingredient.

Synonyms

mung
vsgolden gram
2 7.3

A small green seed used for food in Asian cooking

focuses on the same seed but does not add cooking or color detail
mung bean
vsgolden gram
2 3.4

A small green bean from Asia that people cook or grow into sprouts

keeps the basic seed idea without highlighting sprouting or form
green bean
vsgolden gram
  • Indian
1 1.0

A small round seed used in Asian cooking, often dried or soaked

is the same seed but can imply a specific alternative name
mash bean
vsgolden gram
  • Indian
5.4

A small green bean from the mung plant that people eat

is the same seed concept expressed under a different name
green soy
vsgolden gram
  • Indian
3.5

A seed from the mung bean plant used for food

refers to the identical seed but under an alternate label
green gram
vsgolden gram
  • Indian
5.6

A small edible bean used in Asian cooking

is the same seed without stressing regional culinary use
munggo
vsgolden gram
  • Philippine
9.9

A small green seed used in Filipino and other Asian cooking

refers to the same seed but without limiting it to that region

Surface Forms

golden gram singular
golden grams plural

Morphology

golden + gram

The adjective 'golden' transparently signals a colour/appearance, but the noun 'gram' is ambiguous (commonly known as a unit of weight to many learners) and the specific sense 'a type of pulse/mung bean' is lexical and regionally specific. Without prior exposure to 'gram' as a name for a legume, a B1 learner who only knows the basic senses of the constituents would not reliably infer the MWE's referent, so the expression is only partially compositional.

Etymology

Golden gram is a name that comes from the seed's look: the seeds are small and bright yellow, so golden describes the colour and gram is a common word for small beans. That's why golden gram means 'the seed of the mung bean plant' and is used as food.