castor bean

noun

Definition of castor bean

: the very poisonous seed of the castor-oil plant also : castor-oil plant

Examples of castor bean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The shell of the castor bean is highly poisonous and can be used to make ricin. — Eric Schmitt, New York Times, "ISIS May Be Waning, but Global Threats of Terrorism Continue to Spread," 6 July 2018 The seeds of the castor bean plant are naturally poisonous and can be used to create ricin. — Kirsten Grieshaber And David Rising, chicagotribune.com, "German authorities thwart plot to use deadly toxin in attack, prosecutors say," 14 June 2018 And in Cologne, Germany, authorities acting on information from American intelligence agencies last month arrested a Tunisian man who tried to buy 1,000 castor bean seeds and a coffee grinder online. — Eric Schmitt, New York Times, "ISIS May Be Waning, but Global Threats of Terrorism Continue to Spread," 6 July 2018 According to federal prosecutors, about 3,150 castor bean seeds and 84.3 milligrams of ricin were found in the suspect's apartment along with the components needed to make a bomb. — Frank Jordans, chicagotribune.com, "Tip from public helped Germany foil ricin attack plot," 20 June 2018 The latter boasts about its recycled laces and a castor bean oil insole which cuts down on carbon output compared to conventional petroleum foam. — Jacob Gallagher, WSJ, "How the ‘World’s Most Comfortable Shoe’ Is Challenging Nike and Adidas," 21 May 2018 Just as deadly: raw potatoes, avocados, nicotine plants, and castor beans. — Rebecca Kurson, Good Housekeeping, "10 Genius Tips For Dog-Proofing Your Garden," 17 Jan. 2018 Investigators also found castor beans, which naturally produce ricin, and a jar labeled as containing botulism. — Aimee Green, OregonLive.com, "Man who flung ricin-laced meat at neighbor's dogs agrees to pay $80k," 23 Apr. 2018 In addition to the merino wool upper, the shoelaces are composed of recycled plastic bottles and the insoles are derived from castor bean oil. — Anh-minh Le, San Francisco Chronicle, "Latest Allbirds shoes do actually grow on trees," 18 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'castor bean.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.