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

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 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

A stew of chickpea, lamb, crispy shallots, and fried mint was the khan’s favorite.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

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

He's eating "doubles", a street food snack of flatbreads filled with curried chickpeas.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Add your chopped veggies, like Persian cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, pickled onions, mini sweet peppers, pepperoncini and Kalamata olives, along with washed and drained canned chickpeas.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 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

My sister had already tried to swap her chickpeas for my fruit leather, which was a scam.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

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