noun
1. perennial twining vine of Old World tropics having trifoliate leaves and racemes of fragrant purple pea-like flowers followed by maroon pods of edible seeds; grown as an ornamental and as a vegetable on the Indian subcontinent; sometimes placed in genus Dolichos
• Syn: ↑hyacinth bean, ↑bonavist, ↑Egyptian bean, ↑Lablab purpureus, ↑Dolichos lablab
• Hypernyms: ↑vine
• Member Holonyms: ↑Lablab, ↑genus Lablab
2. tree of the genus Catalpa with large leaves and white flowers followed by long slender pods
• Syn: ↑catalpa
• Hypernyms: ↑bean tree
• Hyponyms: ↑Catalpa bignioides, ↑Catalpa speciosa
• Member Holonyms: ↑genus Catalpa
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nounUsage: usually capitalized I
1.
a. : a No. American catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides) with flat pods resembling beans
b. : a pod of this catalpa
2. : the fruit of the groundnut
3. : hyacinth bean
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catalpa.
[1835-45, Amer.]
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Indian bean,
a catalpa native to the southeastern United States.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.