pea
pronunciation
How to pronounce pea in British English:
UK [piː]
How to pronounce pea in American English:
US [piː]
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- Noun:
- seed of a pea plant
- the fruit or seed of a pea plant
- a leguminous plant of the genus Pisum with small white flowers and long green pods containing edible green seeds
Word Origin
- pea
- pea: [17] Pea is the mirror-image of dice. Dice started off as the plural of die, but has become a singular form; the singular form of pea was originally pease, but it came to be regarded as plural, and so a new singular pea was created. The word was originally acquired in the Old English period from Latin pisa, which in turn got it from Greek píson. The old singular form survives in pease pudding. Relatives of the word include French pois, Italian pisello, and Welsh pysen.
- pea (n.)
- early or mid-17c., false singular from Middle English pease (plural pesen), which was both single and collective (as with 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.
Example
- 1. I also remember vividly the pea shoots stir-fried with duck liver sausage .
- 2. Pie floater , australia . A culinary delight of placing a meat pie upside down in a bowl of pea soup , topped with tomato sauce ( ketchup ) .
- 3. For children put a smear of toothpaste on the toothbrush and adults a pea sized blob .
- 4. Add pea pods and , as one usually does in the village , sliced sweet pepper .
- 5. Geordie cheryl used to tuck into her mum 's home-made ham and pea soup .