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

As with fava beans, be sure to water Phaseolus when the soil seems dry, taking care to avoid watering the leaves. —Abigayle Ward, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2025

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, a limited comic book series written and drawn by Patrick Horvath, proved to that cuddly furry animals and serial murderers could go together like fava beans and a fine chianti. —Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Brown could be from eating large quantities of fava beans or aloe, or certain UTIs or liver and kidney disorders. —Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025

Could Mari, with some fava beans and a nice berry wine, be next? —Erin Qualey, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for fava bean

• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene
• caesarean

Kids Definition

fava bean

noun

fa·​va bean ˈfä-və- 

: broad bean

Medical Definition

fava bean

noun

fa·​va bean ˈfäv-ə- 

: broad bean