pea

1
[ pee ]
See synonyms for: peapeasenpeasepeas on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural peas, (Archaic or British Dialect) pease or peas·en [pee-zuhn]. /ˈpi zən/.
  1. the round, edible seed of a widely cultivated plant, Pisum sativum, of the legume family.

  2. the plant itself.

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

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

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

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).

Origin of pea

1
First recorded in 1660–70; back formation from pease, taken as plural
  • Also called English pea, garden pea, green pea (for defs. 1, 2) .

Other words from pea

  • pealike, adjective

Other definitions for pea (2 of 2)

pea2
[ pee ]

nounNautical.

Origin of pea

2
First recorded in 1825–35; perhaps short for peak1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pea in a sentence

  • Vegetable caseine is best obtained by treating peas or beans with hot water, and straining the fluid.

  • It has been obtained for chemical examination, principally from peas and beans, and from the almond and oats.

  • A brief search brought to light a quantity of ghee, boiled rice and dried peas.

    The Red Year | Louis Tracy
  • On the doorstep stood the little seamstress ready to cast a handful of dried peas.

    The Dragon Painter | Mary McNeil Fenollosa
  • I suppose you think youre an authority on the land question cause you grow sweet peas?

    Chains | Elizabeth Baker

British Dictionary definitions for pea

pea

/ (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

    • the seed of this plant, eaten as a vegetable

    • (as modifier): pea soup

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

Origin of pea

1
C17: from pease (incorrectly assumed to be a plural)

Derived forms of pea

  • pealike, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with pea

pea

see like as two peas in a pod.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.