pea1

[pee] /pi/
noun, plural peas (Archaic or British Dialect) pease or peasen [pee-zuh n] /ˈpi zən/ (Show IPA)
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.
adjective
6.
pertaining to, growing, containing, or cooked with peas:
We cultivated some tomato vines and a pea patch.
7.
small or small and round (usually used in combination).
8.
pea coal.
Also called English pea, garden pea, green pea (for defs 1, 2).
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English; back formation from pease, taken as plural
Related forms
pealike, adjective

pea2

[pee] /pi/
noun, Nautical
1.
bill3 (def 4).
Origin
1825-35; perhaps short for peak1
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
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
Derived Forms
pealike, adjective
Word Origin
C17: from pease (incorrectly assumed to be a plural)
Word Origin and History for pea
n.

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.

Slang definitions & phrases for pea

pea

Related Terms

sweet pea


Idioms and Phrases with pea

pea

see: like as two peas in a pod