English
fava bean
Fava bean comes from Italian fava ‘fava bean, broad bean’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰabʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰabʰ-‘bean’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfaba‘bean’
- Italianc. 1300–presentfava‘fava bean, broad bean’
- Englishearliest quotation 2013fava bean
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰabʰ-‘bean’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfaba‘bean’
- Italianc. 1300–presentfava‘fava bean, broad bean’
- Englishearliest quotation 2013fava bean
Earliest quotation: 2013, David Tanis, Hurry Up, Spring: “At the greenmarket, it’s still mostly potatoes and apples.…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰabʰ- ‘bean’
Today it means
noun An edible bean (Vicia faba) native to Africa and Southwest Asia with a long tradition of cultivation.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰabʰ- / fava bean