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cowpea

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cow·​pea | \ ˈkau̇-ˌpē How to pronounce cowpea (audio) \

Definition of cowpea

: a sprawling herb (Vigna unguiculata synonym V. sinensis) of the legume family related to the bean and widely cultivated in the southern U.S. for forage, green manure, and edible seeds also : its edible seed

— called also black-eyed pea, field pea

Examples of cowpea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The best plants in this category are forage soybeans, cowpeas, and lablab. — Gerald Almy, Field & Stream, "What’s the Best Food Plot Forage for Each Region?," 28 May 2020 Black-eyed peas: These small earthy-flavored beans, also known as crowder peas and cowpeas, are particularly cherished in Southern cooking. — Melissa Clark, NYT Cooking, "How to Cook Beans," 13 Mar. 2018 Dasher began focusing the family farm on bahiagrass, rye and cowpeas in the 1970s. — Jenny Staletovich, sun-sentinel.com, "Florida farmers gearing up to fight climate change," 14 Aug. 2019 Gottlieb, who’d started out as an agricultural chemist by writing a thesis on cowpeas, joined the agency in 1951. — Christopher Tayler, Harper's magazine, "New Books," 19 Aug. 2019 They are found on cowpeas, lima beans, snap beans, soybeans in most states east of the Mississippi River as well as parts of Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, and Utah. — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, "The 10 Most Destructive Garden Insects and How to Get Rid of Them," 10 July 2018 They are found on cowpeas, lima beans, snap beans, soybeans in most states east of the Mississippi River; also parts of Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, Utah. — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, "10 Most Destructive Garden Insects And How To Get Rid Of Them," 3 June 2016 Field peas or cowpeas—which include black-eyed peas, crowder peas, and cream peas—are, botanically, beans. — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, "Growing Peas Has Never Been Easier Than This," 31 Mar. 2017 Others never caught on, like the Ron bean from the Yucatán, with its thick ochre skin and bland flesh, or the Veronico, from the town of Tecozautla, which looked like a pine nut but tasted like a cowpea. — Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, "The Hunt for Mexico’s Heirloom Beans," 17 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cowpea.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of cowpea

1776, in the meaning defined above

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The first known use of cowpea was in 1776

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Cite this Entry

“Cowpea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cowpea. Accessed 28 Jan. 2021.

More from Merriam-Webster on cowpea

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cowpea

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