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

By sauce No. 4 — Chickpotle, a creamy chickpea sauce with smoky chipotle and ghost pepper with a 4/10 heat level — Holland and Bernthal were loosening up and trading barbs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

My mini-blender has long been a quiet ally — mincing onions when my joints aren’t cooperating, blitzing together a very good chickpea salad in no time.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2026

Before planting, the researchers coated the chickpea seeds with arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 12, 2026

Someone instructs you to tear off pieces and dip them in the accompanying guava and plantain chutneys, silky chickpea curry and punchy pepper jelly, pooled around a peninsula of tangy cultured butter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 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

In Bihar, children are typically served rice with pulses or chickpeas, plus an egg once a week.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Researchers found that people who regularly consumed foods such as beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, edamame, and soy milk were less likely to develop hypertension.

From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026

You may have heard of roasted chickpeas, but their dark counterparts can also become a perfectly poppable snack.

From Salon ● May 5, 2026

Cases of lentils, chickpeas, rice, beans, and dried foods obstructed the entrance.

From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat

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