chickpea
chickpea Lexical Profile
• noun
The round, yellowish-beige edible seed of the legume Cicer arietinum, having a firm texture and nutty flavor, widely eaten as a vegetable pulse in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisines and used to make hummus and falafel.
"She tossed roasted chickpeas into the Greek salad for extra protein and crunch."
A bushy annual leguminous plant (Cicer arietinum) of the family Fabaceae, native to the Middle East and cultivated since antiquity in warm, semi-arid regions for its short, inflated pods containing one or two nutritious seeds.
"Farmers in semi-arid regions often rotate wheat with chickpea because the legume enriches the soil with nitrogen."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Altered by folk etymology in the 18th century from earlier 'chich-pea', where 'chich' came via Old French 'chiche' from Latin 'cicer' (chickpea), compounded with English 'pea'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.