chickpea

American  

[chik-pee] / ˈtʃɪkˌpi /

noun

• chickpeas
  plural

1. Also called garbanzo. a widely cultivated plant, Cicer arietinum, of the legume family, bearing pods containing pealike seeds.

2. the seeds of this plant, used extensively as a food.

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chickpea British  

/ ˈtʃɪkˌpiː /

noun

1. a bushy leguminous plant, Cicer arietinum, cultivated for its edible pealike seeds in the Mediterranean region, central Asia, and Africa

2. Also called: garbanzo. the seed of this plant

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chickpeas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of chickpea

1540–50; alteration of chich-pea, equivalent to late Middle English chiche (< Middle French ≪ Latin cicer chickpea) + pea ¹

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Explanation

A chickpea is a delicious, round bean that's also known as a garbanzo. Try roasting chickpeas for a crunchy snack, or make falafel by grinding them, shaping them into balls, and frying them. If you've tasted hummus, you know what chickpeas taste like — at least when they've been pureed with garlic, tahini, and lemon juice. It's also common to toss chickpeas into salads, cook them in stews and soups, and grind them into flour for baking. In the 18th century, chickpea evolved from chich-pease, which is rooted in the Latin word for "pea," cicer. Historians have found evidence that chickpeas were around as long ago as 3500 BCE.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chickpea chickpeas

Mia's first recipe is a chickpea curry: "It's very cheap and very nutritious," she says.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Marlene Cooper has paid $100 a week to get a box of five meals from Blue Apron for the last decade, delighting in dinners like chicken enchilada skillet and cilantro paneer and chickpea curry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

I like the chickpea farro bowl with Brussels sprouts and tempeh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

It blitzes together a very respectable chickpea salad in minutes.

From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2026

Two of the founders had very small ranges in the wild, chickpea being confined to southeastern Turkey and emmer wheat to the Fertile Crescent itself.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

It resembled what Montgomery could only compare to a tortilla roll with chickpeas, and had circular patterns all over it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Legumes include foods like peas, lentils, chickpeas, and beans.

From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026

My supermarket frequently runs 10-for-$10 deals on canned goods, which is essentially my signal to replenish the pantry backbone: black beans, chickpeas, navy beans, diced tomatoes.

From Salon ● May 22, 2026

She only buys organic food, citing limits on the use of glyphosate in organic farming, and avoids foods that she says have higher glyphosate residues, such as chickpeas and wheat products.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026

One might therefore have been deceived into supposing that chickpeas were domesticated in India.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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