winged bean

noun

1. a tropical Asian vine, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus, of the legume family, of which the pods, seeds, leaves, and flowers are edible and nutritious.
2. the pod of this plant, having four flangelike longitudinal extensions.

Word History and Origins

Origin of winged bean¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

New for 2019 are a winged bean from Japan, a light green noodle bean from China and a Japanese mini-watermelon named Beni Kodoma.

From Washington Post

As a legume, the winged bean converts its own nitrogen from the atmosphere, thanks to a happy symbiosis with guest Rhizobium bacteria in the plant's potato-like tubers.

From Time Magazine Archive

The winged bean does more than just fill stomachs.

From Time Magazine Archive

If the winged bean is such a bountiful miracle, why was it so long neglected outside its native habitat?

From Time Magazine Archive

For the plant, better known as "the winged bean" because of the four winglike flanges on its pod, is now regarded as a great green hope among the experts who worry about new food sources for the overpopulated and underdeveloped world.

From Time Magazine Archive