Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Pea

Pea

(pē)
,
Noun.
[OF.
peis
. See
Poise
.]
The sliding weight on a steelyard.
[Written also
pee
.]

Pea

,
Noun.
(Naut.)
See
Peak
,
Noun.
, 3.

Pea

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Peas
(pēz)
or
Pease
(pēz)
.
[OE.
pese
, fr. AS.
pisa
, or OF.
peis
, F.
pois
; both fr. L.
pisum
; cf. Gr.
πίσος
,
πίσον
. The final s was misunderstood in English as a plural ending. Cf.
Pease
.]
1.
(Bot.)
A plant, and its fruit, of the genus
Pisum
, of many varieties, much cultivated for food. It has a papilionaceous flower, and the pericarp is a legume, popularly called a
pod
.
☞ When a definite number, more than one, is spoken of, the plural form peas is used; as, the pod contained nine peas; but, in a collective sense, the form pease is preferred; as, a bushel of pease; they had pease at dinner. This distinction is not always preserved, the form peas being used in both senses.
2.
A name given, especially in the Southern States, to the seed of several leguminous plants (species of
Dolichos
,
Cicer
,
Abrus
, etc.) esp. those having a scar (hilum) of a different color from the rest of the seed.
☞ The name pea is given to many leguminous plants more or less closely related to the common pea. See the Phrases, below.
Beach pea
(Bot.)
,
a seashore plant,
Lathyrus maritimus
.
Black-eyed pea
,
a West Indian name for
Dolichos sphærospermus
and its seed.
Butterfly pea
,
the American plant
Clitoria Mariana
, having showy blossoms.
Chick pea
.
See
Chick-pea
.
Egyptian pea
.
Same as
Chick-pea
.
Everlasting pea
.
See under
Everlasting
.
Glory pea
.
See under
Glory
,
Noun.
Hoary pea
,
any plant of the genus
Tephrosia
; goat’s rue.
Issue pea
,
Orris pea
.
(Med.)
See under
Issue
, and
Orris
.
Milk pea
.
(Bot.)
See under
Milk
.
Pea berry
,
a kind of a coffee bean or grain which grows single, and is round or pea-shaped; often used adjectively;
as,
pea-berry
coffee
.
Pea bug
.
(Zool.)
Same as
Pea weevil
.
Pea coal
,
a size of coal smaller than nut coal.
Pea crab
(Zool.)
,
any small crab of the genus
Pinnotheres
, living as a commensal in bivalves; esp., the European species (
Pinnotheres pisum
) which lives in the common mussel and the cockle.
Pea dove
(Zool.)
,
the American ground dove.
Pea-flower tribe
(Bot.)
,
a suborder (
Papilionaceæ
) of leguminous plants having blossoms essentially like that of the pea.
G. Bentham.
Pea maggot
(Zool.)
,
the larva of a European moth (
Tortrix pisi
), which is very destructive to peas.
Pea ore
(Min.)
,
argillaceous oxide of iron, occurring in round grains of a size of a pea; pisolitic ore.
Pea starch
,
the starch or flour of the common pea, which is sometimes used in adulterating wheat flour, pepper, etc.
Pea tree
(Bot.)
,
the name of several leguminous shrubs of the genus
Caragana
, natives of Siberia and China.
Pea vine
.
(Bot.)
(a)
Any plant which bears peas
.
(b)
A kind of vetch or tare, common in the United States (
Lathyrus Americana
, and other similar species).
Pea weevil
(Zool.)
,
a small weevil (
Bruchus pisi
) which destroys peas by eating out the interior.
Pigeon pea
.
(Bot.)
Sweet pea
(Bot.)
,
the annual plant
Lathyrus odoratus
; also, its many-colored, sweet-scented blossoms.

Webster 1828 Edition


Pea

PEA

,
Noun.
[L. pisum.] A plant and its fruit of the genus Pisum, of many varieties. This plant has a papilionaceous flower,and the pericarp is a legume, called in popular language a pod. In the plural, we write peas, for two or more individual seeds, but pease, for an indefinite number in quantity of bulk. We write two,three or four peas, but a bushel of pease. [This practice is arbitrary.]

Definition 2024


peã

peã

See also: pea, PEA, peà, peʻa, and pe'a

Portuguese

Noun

peã m (plural peãs)

  1. paean (a song of triumph)