velvet bean

noun

1

: cowhage

especially : a cowhage (Mucuna pruriens var. utilis) that is sometimes grown in the southern U.S. for green manure and grazing

2

: the seed of the velvet bean that is often used as feed for livestock (such as cattle and hogs)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Neurohacker Collective Qualia Mind is loaded with premium ingredients like B vitamins, Bacopa monnieri, L-theanine, taurine, velvet bean extract, phosphatidylserine, ginkgo biloba, and others. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 1 Nov. 2022

One approach that’s been especially fruitful for zeroing in on non-histamine itch is to poke people with tiny hairs (or spicules) from a tropical plant called cowhage, or velvet bean. —Katherine Harmon Courage, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Nov. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined at sense 1