Jumping Bean (Noun)
Meaning
Seed of Mexican shrubs of the genus Sebastiana containing the larva of a moth whose movements cause the bean to jerk or tumble.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- The Mexican jumping bean is a seed pod that contains the larva of a particular moth species.
- A jumping bean has a small hole that the moth larva will eventually use to exit the seed as an adult.
- If you gently heat a jumping bean it will start moving about due to the larva inside.
- Jumping beans are usually eaten by birds and other animals, or the moth emerges and then the seed is destroyed.
- The movement of the jumping bean is often referred to as a "jump" but the seed pod does actually shift about or tumbling more than jump.