Mexican jumping bean

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Definition

Noun: 1. A seed of certain Mexican shrubs (genus Sebastiana): This seed appears to move or jump on its own because it contains the living larva of a small moth (Cydia saltitans). The movements of the larva inside cause the seed to jerk, roll, or tumble.

Usage Examples
  • The Mexican jumping bean fascinated the children as it skittered across the table.
  • In the gift shop, they sold Mexican jumping beans as a novelty item.
  • The apparent motion of a Mexican jumping bean is actually caused by an insect larva trapped inside.
Advanced Usage
  • The term is often used to describe something that exhibits sudden, jerky, or unpredictable motion, similar to the bean's movement.
    • The old washing machine bounced around the laundry room like a Mexican jumping bean during the spin cycle.
Variants and Related Words
  • Jumping bean (n): A more general term, though it most commonly refers to the Mexican variety.
  • Sebastiana (n): The botanical genus of the shrubs that produce these seeds.
Synonyms
  • Tumbling seed (descriptive, but not a common synonym)
Notes on Meaning
  • A Mexican jumping bean is not a true bean (legume) but the seed capsule of a shrub. Its primary and most distinctive characteristic is its autonomous-seeming movement, which is a biological phenomenon rather than a magical one.
Noun
  1. seed of Mexican shrubs of the genus Sebastiana containing the larva of a moth whose movements cause the bean to jerk or tumble

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