What is "green bean"

n. 1 The immature pods of any kind of bean plant, eaten as a vegetable. 2 The immature pods of numerous varieties of the common bean, ''Phaseolus vulgaris''.

1. n. immature bean pod eaten as a vegetable

2. a common bean plant cultivated for its slender green edible pods

Green beans, also known as string beans, or snap beans in the northeastern and western United States, are the unripe fruit and protective pods of various cultivars of the common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris).

They are distinguished from the many differing varieties of beans primarily grown for their dried seeds in that green beans are harvested and consumed with their enclosing pods, typically before the seeds inside have fully matured. This practice is analogous to the harvesting of unripened snow pea pods or sugar snap peas of the pea family of plants. Popular green bean cultivars have been selected especially for the fleshiness, flavor, or sweetness of their pods.

Haricots verts, French for "green beans" (also known as French beans, French green beans, French filet beans, or fine beans ( British English)) is a variety of green beans that is longer, thinner, crisper, and more tender than "standard" green beans. It is different from the haricot bean, which is sold as a dried seed.

The term 'Green Bean' can also be used as an adjective to describe a person who is strange or unusual in some way. "Gazza was a good footballer, but a bit of a green bean."