sweet pea

American  

noun

1. a climbing plant, Lathyrus odoratus, of the legume family, having sweet-scented flowers.

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sweet pea British  

noun

1. a climbing leguminous plant, Lathyrus odoratus, of S Europe, widely cultivated for its butterfly-shaped fragrant flowers of delicate pastel colours

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Etymology

Origin of sweet pea

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

I pass through fragrant California sagebrush and wild fennel in one spot, a blend of sweet pea, lilac and kicked-up dirt in another.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2024

Others described cravings: “Goulash soup and sweet pea soup.”

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2022

In the year that followed, he made dozens of sentences at a painstaking rate of about one character per minute: “Goulash soup and sweet pea soup.”

From Science Magazine • Mar. 22, 2022

Many local nurseries stock Renee’s Garden seeds, a West Coast source known for its extensive sweet pea collection.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2022

Pacheco swung clumsily at another pretty moth sucking on a sweet pea nearby and stunned both himself and the lawyer by catching it.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols