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kidney bean

kidney bean

3 2.0
A large red seed shaped like a kidney that people cook and eat or the plant that grows it
  • noun
  • /ˈkɪdni bɪn/
translation icon : frijol rojo
  • So tins, pulses like chickpeas, broad beans, red kidney beans can last ages without going off or losing their nutritional value.
  • red kidney beans
  • kidney bean protein
  • kidney bean seed

Everything else was sold out and my package of dried red kidney beans got lost in the mail.

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Examples

  • I picked them up and found that they weren't pebbles at all, but hard, red-shelled kidney beans.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • This is a can of red kidney beans, which I consider to be the best bean in the world.

  • This is a can of red kidney beans, which I consider to be the best bean in the world.

  • Everything else was sold out and my package of dried red kidney beans got lost in the mail.

  • A can of kidney beans, a can of black beans, some ground beef, and some yellow corn and fry them all together.

  • The results regarding protein content revealed red kidney beans to be an excellent protein source containing 25.78% protein.

    Academic text (2014)
  • But I did need some kidney beans, some chopped tomatoes, some chickpeas.

  • Peering inside the pot, Rick saw kidney beans, chunks of tomato, and bits of ruddy onion.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The chili here is vegetarian, chock-full of kidney beans and red lentils.

  • Add edamame, green beans, and kidney beans, and toss to coat well.

Synonyms

bean
vskidney bean
512 1.0

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

refers to one particular large red variety rather than edible legumes in general
frijol
vskidney bean
  • US
8.8

A plant that grows edible beans used in Latin American cooking

refers specifically to that large red variety rather than the whole plant
common bean
vskidney bean
1.1

A plant that grows beans people cook and eat

is narrower, meaning a specific cultivated variety rather than the whole species

How Thin

haricot vert
1 9.2
French bean
  • UK
1 2.1
green bean
  • Indian
1 1.0
kidney bean
3 2.0
broad bean
  • UK
2.4

Surface Forms

kidney bean singular
kidney beans plural

Morphology

kidney + bean

The meaning 'a large, kidney-shaped bean' is directly derivable from combining 'kidney' (the organ or its shape) with 'bean' (an edible seed), following the common noun-compound pattern that denotes type or shape. This compositional, cross-linguistically frequent pattern makes the term immediately predictable for a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Kidney bean is named for the shape of the seed. The small red bean is curved and looks like a human kidney, so people put the words together and now kidney bean means the 'food' we eat and the 'plant' that grows it.