pea
1 Americannoun
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peas,
plural
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pease,
plural (Archaic or British Dialect)
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peasen
plural (Archaic or British Dialect)
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the round, edible seed of a widely cultivated plant, Pisum sativum, of the legume family.
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the plant itself.
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the green, somewhat inflated pod of this plant.
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any of various related or similar plants or their seed, as the chickpea.
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something resembling a pea, especially in being small and round.
adjective
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pertaining to, growing, containing, or cooked with peas.
We cultivated some tomato vines and a pea patch.
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small or small and round (usually used in combination).
noun
noun
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an annual climbing leguminous plant, Pisum sativum, with small white flowers and long green pods containing edible green seeds: cultivated in temperate regions
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the seed of this plant, eaten as a vegetable
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( as modifier )
pea soup
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any of several other leguminous plants, such as the sweet pea, chickpea, and cowpea
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pea1
First recorded in 1660–70; back formation from pease, taken as plural
Origin of pea2
First recorded in 1825–35; perhaps short for peak 1
Explanation
A pea is a plant that grows small, green, edible seeds — also called peas. When you think of peas, you undoubtedly picture the little green things on your plate beside the mashed potatoes. You might think of peas as vegetables — more specifically, they are legumes. They are actually the seeds, or fruit, of a plant that most commonly climbs like a vine and produces long pods that contain peas. The word started as pease in Middle English, which referred to both the singular and the plural (like wheat and corn). The Greek root is pison.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The actual track has been filled with pea gravel, designed to minimize noise from any reverberations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Protein makes up about a quarter of a pea, and pea protein has become an increasingly popular source of plant-based protein.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
The plate that my pea risotto was served on was much larger than the serving of risotto itself.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
The nine-story Bounce Innovation Hub is home to more than 60 small companies, including AI and virtual-reality startups and an indoor farm growing arugula, pea shoots and other greens for local restaurants and supermarkets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
“Most are eating pea soup, you see, but that would be quite challenging to transport,” he explained.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
Same with precut or packaged lettuce, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, raspberries, snow peas and green onions.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
If you’re really worried, skip uncooked produce like salad mixes, berries, basil, and snap peas for the time being.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
In the past, foods including bagged salad mixes, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, raspberries, snow peas and scallions have been linked to cyclosporiasis.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Inkom, Idaho, company sells kits people can use to plant broccoli, buckwheat, alfalfa, speckled peas and more in small plastic trays, harvesting the greens within days to maximize their nutrient content.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
No need to avoid looking at Trey, swirling peas and carrots on the plate.
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
For travel updates follow @TSYalerts And pease, please DO NOT enter flood water- either by car or on foot.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 8, 2019
This relief usually consisted of potted beef and pease pudding; items that, given the limited capacity for long-term food storage in the 19th century, had some chance of surviving the journey between islands.
From Time ● Sep. 27, 2017
Before you grow indignant, ask yourself this: do you weep at the cherry, a singular derived from the singular cheris; or at the pea, long ago conjured from the singular pease?
From The Guardian ● Mar. 25, 2016
Like pease porridge in the pot, the Louis-Conn $100-a-seat fiasco was nine days old.
From Time Magazine Archive
Theon was bent over a wooden bowl finishing the last of his own portion of pease porridge when a light touch on his shoulder made him drop his spoon.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Of the first-named picture he observed:— "Or crowding round one pool, from flowery shelves A group of damsels bowed the knee Over reflections solid as themselves And like as peasen be."
From The History of "Punch" by M. H. (Marion Harry) Spielmann
The soil along the coast is not deep of earth, bringing forth abundantly peasen small, yet good feeding for cattle.
From Sir Humphrey Gilbert's Voyage to Newfoundland by Edward Hayes
He used to wear Flowers in his smock, gold-clocks and peasen; And spindle-fruit in hunting season.
From Reynard the Fox by John Masefield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
