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Definition of split pea
split pea
Plural:split peas
split pea Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
5
Tier
2
Usage
Top 10k
• noun
1
A dried agricultural pea that has had its outer skin removed, causing it to naturally split in half, commonly used in cooking to make thick soups or purees.
Example
"She simmered the ham bone with a bag of green split peas to make a hearty winter soup."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for split peaWord Origin & Etymology
A descriptive compound phrase originating in the 18th century, referring to the traditional agricultural processing method where dried peas are husked, causing their natural cotyledons to separate into two halves.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Split pea. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 15, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/split pea