Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In Porto Rico and Spanish America generally, the chick-pea, Cicer arietinum. See chick-pea (with cut).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An edible pulse, Cicer arietinum, of the family Leguminosae or Fabaceae and subfamily Faboideae or Papilionoideae, of which the plant has white or purple-blue flowers and small feathery leaves on both sides of the stem and yields pods containing two to three peas.
  • noun A seed of this plant; the chickpea

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun large white roundish Asiatic legume; usually dried
  • noun the seed of the chickpea plant

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Spanish, alteration (perhaps influenced by Old Spanish garroba, algarroba) of Old Spanish arvanço, perhaps from Greek erebinthos.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

As calavance, from Spanish garbanzo, possibly from Basque garau ("seed") + antzu ("dry"). Another theory suggests a Greek origin.

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Examples

Comments

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  • See also an extensive (if disgusting) conversation on this list.

    April 24, 2009

  • For a bit more garbanzo-related fun, see gonzo.

    July 3, 2010