sieva bean

[ see-vuh ]

noun

1. butter bean.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sieva bean¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; perhaps alteration of seewee or sewee “bean,” probably after the Sewee, an extinct American Indian tribe that lived on the South Carolina coast

Example Sentences

Though several days earlier than the Lima, the Sieva Bean requires the whole season for its complete maturity; and even when planted early, and receiving the advantage of a warm summer and a favorable autumn, it is seldom fully perfected in the Northern States: for, though much of the crop may ripen, a large portion almost invariably is prematurely destroyed by frost.

From Project Gutenberg