Back to all words

Pea

4 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a small round green seed eaten as a vegetable

Where does the word "pea" come from? It comes from Greek píson, passing through Latin and Old English before entering English (1600s).

píson→pisum→pise, pease→pea

Greek · ancient

the pea plant, probably borrowed from a pre-Greek language

Latin · classical

borrowed from Greek; Columella's farming manual gives advice on sowing it

Old English · medieval

a singular or mass noun, as in the rhyme 'Pease porridge hot'

English · 1600s

"a single pea seed"

'pease' sounded plural, so speakers back-formed a new singular, 'pea'

Drag to pan · scroll to zoom

Read the full story

Pea’s story begins in Greek: píson meant “pea.” The pea plant, probably borrowed from a pre-Greek language. By classical, the word had taken hold in Latin as pisum. Borrowed from Greek; Columella's farming manual gives advice on sowing it. From there it passed into Old English as pise, pease by medieval. A singular or mass noun, as in the rhyme 'Pease porridge hot'. It reached English by 1600s as pea. 'pease' sounded plural, so speakers back-formed a new singular, 'pea'. Today, pea means a small round green seed eaten as a vegetable.