Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae (alternately Leguminosae) used for human food or anima feed.

The whole young pods of bean plants, if picked before the pods ripen and dry, are very tender and may be eaten cooked or raw. Thus the word "green beans" means "green" in the sense of unripe (many are in fact not green in color), as the beans inside the pods of green beans are too small to comprise a significant part of the cooked fruit.