Cowpea

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkaʊpiː/

Definitions

1. A leguminous crop that produces edible seeds and pods, primarily cultivated for food in warm regions
2. A plant grown for its seeds and pods which can be eaten and is common in tropical and subtropical agriculture
3. A type of legume valued for its nutritious seeds, widely cultivated in warm climates for human and animal consumption

Etymology: The cowpea is named for a creature that never eats it. "Cow" here is the animal, and the plant earned its name because livestock, especially cattle, were fed on its vines and pods, which were grazed or harvested as fodder. Its seeds are the familiar pale, kidney-shaped beans of Southern cookery, but the name points to its role as animal feed rather than human food. The word is a plain compound, formed in English from "cow" and "pea." "Pea" itself is an old word, originally a singular that was later misread as a plural, which is why the seed is called a pea and not a "pease." Put together, "cowpea" describes a pea valued as fodder for cows, a name that has stuck even as the plant has become a staple of human diets across warm regions.

Synonyms: black-eyed pea, Vigna unguiculata