Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🌱 An edible seed 🌿 A tropical shrub
pigeon pea

pigeon pea

5.8
A small seed eaten as food in warm countries
  • noun
  • /ˈpɪdʒən pi/
translation icon : gandul
  • Farmers in India cultivate pigeon pea as a major source of protein.

Examples

  • The pigeon pea is a staple in many diets.

  • I bought some fresh pigeon peas at the market.

  • The nutritionist recommended adding pigeon pea to the diet for extra fiber.

  • We cooked a spicy stew with pigeon peas and rice for dinner.

  • The farmer harvested a batch of pigeon peas to sell at the local market.

  • In many tropical countries, pigeon peas are a staple food that is rich in nutrients.

  • She prepared a delicious stew using fresh pigeon peas from her garden.

Synonyms

dahl
vspigeon pea
  • UK
1 8.2

Small nutritious seeds that come from a tropical pea plant and people use in many South Asian dishes

is the general food name used beyond regional culinary use
cajan pea
vspigeon pea
  • Indian
9.2

A small nutritious seed from a tropical plant used for food

is the common name rather than the botanical term

Surface Forms

pigeon pea singular
pigeon peas plural

Morphology

pigeon + pea

The noun follows a transparent modifier + head noun pattern: 'pea' names the category (a legume) and 'pigeon' simply specifies a variety, so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a kind of pea/legume. The historical reason for the modifier ('pigeon') may be arbitrary, but this does not prevent a B1 learner from understanding the basic meaning as a type of pea with edible seeds.

Etymology

Pigeon pea may come from farmers giving the small round seeds to pigeons, and the word pea shows they look like little peas. So the name now means 'the small edible seed' people cook and eat.