pea

¹ American  

[pee] / pi /

noun

plural

peas,

plural

pease, peasen

1. the round, edible seed of a widely cultivated plant, Pisum sativum, of the legume family.

2. the plant itself.

3. the green, somewhat inflated pod of this plant.

4. any of various related or similar plants or their seed, as the chickpea.

5. something resembling a pea, especially in being small and round.

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adjective

1. pertaining to, growing, containing, or cooked with peas.

   We cultivated some tomato vines and a pea patch.

2. small or small and round (usually used in combination).

3. pea coal.

pea ² American  

[pee] / pi /

noun

Nautical.

1. bill.

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pea British  

/ piː /

noun

1. an annual climbing leguminous plant, Pisum sativum, with small white flowers and long green pods containing edible green seeds: cultivated in temperate regions

2. 1. the seed of this plant, eaten as a vegetable

   2. ( as modifier )

      pea soup

3. any of several other leguminous plants, such as the sweet pea, chickpea, and cowpea

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pea Idioms  

1. see like as two peas in a pod.

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Other Word Forms

• pealike adjective

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

It’s where I watched Barack Obama get elected twice, the Lakers win back-to-back championships, and where I indulged in countless night caps and an unreasonable amount of all-you-can-eat split pea soup.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

The fairy tale of the princess and the pea tells of a young royal so sensitive she could detect a tiny pea hidden beneath many mattresses.

From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026

The teapot piece has pea tendril decor, which alludes to my favorite spring garden vegetable.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

"It's an easy growing crop," he says about butterfly pea.

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2026

My Bs looked like Ps and I couldn’t make my Os rounder than a dried up pea.

From "Worth" by A. LaFaye

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