jellybean

IPA/dʒˈɛlɪbˌiːn/
IPA/dʒˈɛlɪbˌiːn/

jellybean — noun

1. a small, brightly colored candy in the shape of a bean, with a chewy inside and

1.nounA2
Definition

a small, brightly colored candy in the shape of a bean, with a chewy inside and a hard sugar coating

Example

Owen bought a big bag of jellybeans for his younger sister's birthday party.

countable noun: a bag of jellybeans

Talia sorted her jellybeans by color before eating the purple ones first.

Usage Note

Jellybeans are especially popular around Easter in the United States, often sold in pastel colors and used in Easter egg hunts.

Etymology

English

The word jellybean is a compound of jelly (referring to the soft, chewy inside of the candy) and bean (referring to its shape, which looks like a bean). The candy was first recorded around 1886, and its popularity grew quickly in the United States during the early 1900s.

First known use

1886

1886, in the meaning defined above