Metcalfe bean

noun

Met·​calfe bean

ˈmetˌkaf-,

-kəf-,

-ˌkȧf

1

: a prostrate perennial bean (Phaseolus metcalfei) of the southwestern U.S. and adjacent Mexico that is sometimes cultivated for forage

2

: the flat circular brownish black seed of the Metcalfe bean

Word History

Etymology

after J. K. Metcalfe who introduced it to the southwestern U.S. in the late 19th century

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