Old English peose, via Late Latin from Latin pisa peas, pl of pisum, from Greek pison
pea
noun
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
any of several other leguminous plants, such as the sweet pea, chickpea, and cowpea
Derived Formspealike, adjective
Word Origin for pea
C17: from pease (incorrectly assumed to be a plural)
early or mid-17c., false singular from Middle English pease (plural pesen), which was both single and collective (e.g. wheat, corn) but the "s" sound was mistaken for the plural inflection. From Old English pise (West Saxon), piose (Mercian) "pea," from Late Latin pisa, variant of Latin pisum "pea," from Greek pison "the pea," perhaps of Thracian or Phrygian origin [Klein].
In Southern U.S. and the Caribbean, used of other legumes as well. Pea soup is first recorded 1711 (pease-soup); applied to London fogs since at least 1849. Pea-shooter attested from 1803.
pease
Old English; see pea, of which this is the etymologically correct form.
