fava bean

noun

fa·​va bean ˈfä-və- 

: the large, flat, edible, starchy seed of an Old World upright vetch (Vicia faba) that is typically pale green to whitish in color and is eaten raw, blanched, or cooked

also : this plant widely grown for its seeds and as fodder

called also broad bean, horse bean

see favism

Examples of fava bean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adzuki, or the red mung bean, has more fiber than many other varieties, while fava beans are packed with the antioxidant lutein. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 12 Dec. 2024

Independent and industrial farms need to adapt in other ways too, converting to drought-resistant crops like sorghum, okra, and fava beans—while taking care to rotate those and a variety of other similar crops to avoid establishing agricultural monocultures that are susceptible to disease. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024

Important note: Some individuals have an allergic reaction to fava beans, so be aware before eating or offering to guests. —Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024

Plant the following vegetables from seed: bulb onions, shallots, leeks, chives, garlic, peas, radishes, beets, spinach, lettuce, chard, fava beans, celery, cabbage, kohlrabi and kale. —Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 10 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian fava "fava bean," going back to Latin faba, going back to dialectal Indo-European *b^hab^(h)- (whence also Serbian & Croatian bȍb, bòba "bean," Polish bób, Russian bob all going back to Slavic *bobŭ), probably borrowed from a European substratal language

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fava bean

noun

fa·​va bean ˈfä-və- 

: broad bean

Medical Definition

fava bean

noun

fa·​va bean ˈfäv-ə- 

: broad bean