n. In both senses also called fava bean, horse bean.
- An annual Old World plant (Vicia faba) in the pea family, having pinnately compound leaves, white flowers with lateral purplish blotches, and long thick pods.
- The edible seed or green pod of this plant. It is the bean of antiquity.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
