butter bean
nounDefinition of butter bean
1 chiefly Southern US and Midland US
a
: lima bean sense 2
Note: The name butter bean is used chiefly for either a small white or pale green lima bean or a large white to tannish lima bean.
For heartier appetites, a pair of succulent spring lamb chops cozy up to baby herbed lima beans (sometimes known as butter beans). — Better Homes and Gardens … we sampled big, silk-textured butter beans shimmering in their juices …— Jane and Michael Stern
b
: a plant (Phaseolus lunatus) that bears butter beans
2
: wax bean
3
: a green shell bean especially as opposed to a snap bean
Examples of butter bean in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There's a very legit gumbo, and fish filets are cornmeal-crusted, served on top of butter beans and topped with crisp okra. — Polly Campbell, Cincinnati.com, "And the best bistros in Greater Cincinnati are ...," 28 Aug. 2019 The aforementioned meaty and mild butter beans ($4.69) are huge limas somehow baked to deliciousness. — Joan Wilder, BostonGlobe.com, "Cohasset’s Olympus Grille is an ode to family," 12 June 2019 In the seafood and meat section, there is a rustic beef short rib and mushroom ragout ($28), and octopus a la plancha ($31) mixed with butter beans, blood oranges and kale chips. — Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, "Among top San Francisco destination restaurants, the Progress is better than ever," 14 Mar. 2018 The aforementioned meaty and mild butter beans ($4.69) are huge limas somehow baked to deliciousness. — Joan Wilder, BostonGlobe.com, "Cohasset’s Olympus Grille is an ode to family," 12 June 2019 In the seafood and meat section, there is a rustic beef short rib and mushroom ragout ($28), and octopus a la plancha ($31) mixed with butter beans, blood oranges and kale chips. — Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, "Among top San Francisco destination restaurants, the Progress is better than ever," 14 Mar. 2018 Goya butter beans are available at many grocery stores (and Amazon) and have an extremely similar shape and texture. — Aliza Abarbanel, Bon Appetit, "Why We Love Gigante Beans, the Creamiest, Most Satisfying Legume Around," 24 Jan. 2018 On my recent visit last week, the chop was paired with butter beans, kale pistou, roasted broccoli Romanesco, orange pork jus and fennel pollen. — Michael Bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, "Prospect in San Francisco: Urban, sleek and sophisticated," 29 Jan. 2018 This will give the butter bean purée a rich, nutty, buttery flavor. — Nancy Miller, The Courier-Journal, "This Bar Vetti chef's menu combines Kentucky with traditional Italian fare," 12 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'butter bean.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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