What does "pea" mean?
Any of certain plants of the family Fabaceae: Pisum sativum and others.
Pea
/piː/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of certain plants of the family Fabaceae: Pisum sativum and others.
- Grammar: pea is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: pea plant, algae, autophyte, bean.
- Usage evidence: There's a pea in my right nostril.
How to use "pea"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pea" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pea" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pea" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pea" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pea" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "pea plant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pea", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of certain plants of the family Fabaceae: Pisum sativum and others.
- 2 A ball travelling at high velocity.
- 3 a peafowl archaic, rare
- 4 Alternative form of peak. alt-of, alternative
- 5 Initialism of palmitoylethanolamide. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 seed of a pea plant used for food wordnet
- 7 Any of certain plants of the family Fabaceae: Pisum sativum and others.; A plant, Pisum sativum, member of the legume (Fabaceae) family. especially
"Below, long rows of peas put forth their white-winged flowers, tempting the small butterflies to flutter round their inanimate likenesses;..."
- 8 Any of the small numbered balls used in a pea shake game. US
- 9 Initialism of pulseless electrical activity. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
- 10 a leguminous plant of the genus Pisum with small white flowers and long green pods containing edible green seeds wordnet
- 11 The edible seed of Pisum sativum.
- 12 Ellipsis of green pea galaxy. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 13 Initialism of preliminary ecological appraisal. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism
- 14 the fruit or seed of a pea plant wordnet
- 15 The edible seed of various other pea plants.
- 16 Any of several varieties of bean.
"peas and rice"
- 17 Money. Multicultural-London-English, in-plural
"Man's making bare peas."
Proper Noun
- 1 Initialism of Portuguese East Africa. abbreviation, alt-of, historical, initialism
- 2 A surname.
- 3 Initialism of Proto-Eastern Algonquian, the proto-language of the Eastern Algonquian languages. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"There's a pea in my right nostril."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pea"?
Common synonyms include: pea plant, algae, autophyte, bean, bracken, brown algae.
How do you use "pea" in a sentence?
There's a pea in my right nostril.
How do you pronounce "pea"?
Pronounced /piː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Back-formation from pease, an original singular reinterpreted as a plural. Further from Middle English pese (“a pea”), from Old English pise, from Latin pisa, pisum, from Ancient Greek πίσον (píson).
Etymology 2
From having the appearance of a pea (see English etymology 1), the edible seed of Pisum sativum, the pea plant.
Etymology 3
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.