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Glite Dictionary
asparagus pea

asparagus pea

9.9
A plant with long edible pods that have four thin wings
  • noun
  • /əˈspærəɡəs pi/
  • UK
translation icon : guisante espárrago
  • The asparagus pea yields crisp, edible pods that are delicious when stir-fried.

Examples

  • We planted asparagus pea seeds in the garden for their unusual pods.

  • Fresh asparagus pea can be found at specialty markets in early summer.

  • I love eating asparagus pea in salads.

  • The garden is full of asparagus peas this year.

  • Fresh asparagus pea can be found at specialty markets in early summer.

  • The asparagus pea yields crisp, edible pods that are delicious when stir-fried.

  • I love eating asparagus pea in salads.

Synonyms

Lotus tetragonolobus
vsasparagus pea
  • Specialized
9.9

A spreading annual plant from Europe with four-winged pods you can eat, called the asparagus pea

is the cultivated vegetable form rather than the botanical species name
winged pea
vsasparagus pea
  • UK
9.4

A European plant that lives one year with spreading stems and edible pods with four wings

is used specifically for the cultivated vegetable form rather than a general descriptor

How Edible

salad
550 1.0
asparagus pea
  • UK
9.9
crop
460 1.1
ornamental
1 4.8

Surface Forms

asparagus pea singular
asparagus peas plural

Morphology

asparagus + pea

This is a straightforward noun–noun compound: 'asparagus' + 'pea' denotes a pea-like vegetable related to or resembling asparagus. The meaning is compositionally derived from the constituents and follows common cross-linguistic naming patterns for plants, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the referent.

Etymology

The name asparagus pea may come from the plant's taste and shape: it makes edible pods like a pea but some people say they taste a little like asparagus. So the name joins asparagus and pea to show it is a kind of pea that reminds people of asparagus.