\Fre"jol\ [Sp. fr['i]jol, fr['e]jol.] 1. In Mexico, the southwestern United States, and the West Indies, any cultivated bean of the genus {Phaseolus}, esp. the black seed of a variety of {P. vulgaris}. 2. The beanlike seed of any of several related plants, as the cowpea. Frijoles are an important article of diet among Spanish-American peoples, being used as an ingredient of many dishes.