chickpea

noun

chick·​pea ˈchik-ˌpē 

: an Asian herb (Cicer arietinum) of the legume family cultivated for its short pods with one or two seeds

also : its seed

Examples of chickpea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bites include snacks like crispy chickpeas with shawarma spice, Siberian caviar with tarragon egg salad, and a foie gras torchon with fennel and lemon jam. —Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2024

Two shekels once bought three cans of chickpeas but now cover only one, said Mahmoud Marzouq, 29, a Gaza City resident. —Matthew Mpoke Bigg, New York Times, 24 May 2024

There are also plenty of chickpea dishes, and arguably the best on the island are served at Bar Stop, a 130-year-old tapas bar in the little town of Yaiza. —William Leigh, theweek, 9 May 2024

The dishes at a community center potluck for Indian expatriates near Washington, D.C., ranged from chana masala, a popular northern Indian chickpea curry, to idli, a southern Indian rice cake. —John Yoon, New York Times, 30 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

alteration of chich pea, from Middle English chiche, from Anglo-French, from Latin cicer

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

chickpea

noun

chick·​pea ˈchik-ˌpē 

: an Asian herb of the legume family cultivated for its short pods with one or two edible seeds

also : its seed