beach pea

noun

either of two plants of the legume family, Lathyrus japonicus, of seashores of the North Temperate Zone, or L. littoralis, of the temperate western coast of North America, both having oblong leaves and clusters of pealike flowers.

Origin of beach pea

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805

Words nearby beach pea

beach drift, beach face, beach flea, beach goldenrod, beach grass, beach pea, beach plum, beach ridge, beach scarp, beach umbrella, beach volleyball

Example sentences from the Web for beach pea

  • He liked the Beach-pea (Lathyrus maritimus), cooked green, as well as the cultivated.

    Cape Cod |Henry D. Thoreau