navy bean

American  

noun

1. a small, white bean, dried for prolonged storage and prepared for eating by soaking and cooking.

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Etymology

Origin of navy bean

An Americanism dating back to 1885–60; so called from wide use in the U.S. Navy

Example Sentences

Collard greens, fried chicken, navy bean pie and tacos were a constant inside her home.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025

Others convey history: Massachusetts’s state bean is the navy bean, which lawmakers determined was the original bean in the “famous and venerable” Boston baked bean recipe.

From BusinessWeek • May 26, 2011

Goodloe Banks," I said, "I care not one parboiled navy bean for your education.

From Options by Henry, O.

These tiny limas are most delicious when baked like the ordinary navy bean.

From Mrs. Wilson's Cook Book Numerous New Recipes Based on Present Economic Conditions by Wilson, Mary A.

The contents of the bag were gold nuggets from the size of a mustard seed to a navy bean and there was at least a quart.

From Chiquita, an American Novel The Romance of a Ute Chief's Daughter by Tileston, Merrill