le haricot

Definition & meaning

Haricot is a masculine French noun meaning bean.

1. A bean or bean plant
   It can refer to the edible seed of a bean plant, or sometimes to the plant itself.

   • un haricot rouge — a kidney bean
   • des haricots blancs — white beans
   • un haricot sec — a dried bean

2. A green bean
   In the expression haricot vert, it means a green bean, eaten as a vegetable.

   • une salade de haricots verts — a green-bean salad

The plural is haricots.

Grammar & Word origin

• Gender: masculine
• Singular: un haricot
• Plural: des haricots
• Pronunciation: /aʁiko/
• The initial h is an h aspiré: it is not pronounced, but it prevents elision and liaison.
  • le haricot — not l’haricot
  • les haricots — pronounced without a /z/ liaison

The word is of uncertain origin. It may be related to an Old French verb meaning “to cut into pieces” or “to stew,” although the exact etymology is debated.

Synonyms & antonyms

There is no exact everyday synonym for haricot.

• légumineuse ↗ — a legume or leguminous plant. This is a broader botanical term that includes beans, lentils, peas, and chickpeas.
• fève ↗ — a bean or broad bean, but it usually refers specifically to a broad bean or fava bean, not to beans in general.
• pois ↗ — a pea, which is another type of legume but not a bean.

There is no direct antonym for haricot, since it names a plant or food rather than a quality or action.

Common phrases & collocations

• haricot vert ↗ — green bean
• haricot rouge ↗ — kidney bean or red bean
• haricot blanc ↗ — white bean
• haricot sec ↗ — dried bean
• haricot noir ↗ — black bean
• planter des haricots ↗ — to plant beans
• faire tremper des haricots ↗ — to soak beans
• haricot de mouton ↗ — a traditional French stew made with mutton and beans; despite its name, it does not contain mutton kidneys or “sheep beans.”