pea

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A small round green seed eaten as a vegetable.

   She served the chicken with rice and peas.

2. 2
   noun

   The climbing plant that produces peas in long green pods.

   We planted peas along the garden fence in spring.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Pea arose in the mid-17th century when the older word pease was reinterpreted as a plural and a new singular was formed from it. Pease is recorded in Old English and ultimately goes back to Greek pison, meaning “pulse” or “peas.”

From Middle English pe, po, poue, pa, paue, from Old English pēa, pāwa (“peacock”) (compare Old English pāwe (“peahen”)) and Old Norse pái (“peacock”), both from Proto-Germanic *pāwô (“peacock”), from Latin pāvō (“peacock”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Pau, West Frisian pau, Dutch pauw, German Pfau. Doublet of Pavo.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary