Pea (?), n. [OF. peis. See Poise.]
The sliding weight on a steelyard.
[Written also
pee.]
© Webster 1913.
Pea, n. Naut.
See Peak, n., 3.
© Webster 1913.
Pea, n.; pl. Peas (#) or Pease (#). [OE. pese, fr. AS. pisa, or OF. peis, F. pois; both fr. L. pisum; cf. Gr. , . 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 sphaerospermus 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, n. -- 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 (P. pisum) which lives in the common mussel and the cockle. -- Pea dove Zool., the American ground dove. -- Pea-flower tribe Bot., a suborder (Papilionaceae) 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. See Pigeon pea. -- Sweet pea Bot., the annual plant Lathyrus odoratus; also, its many-colored, sweet-scented blossoms.
© Webster 1913.