Cicer
/ˈkɪkər/noun
A Latin word for chickpea; also the source of the Roman family name Cicero.
Did you know?The Roman statesman Cicero’s family name is traditionally linked to *cicer* (“chickpea”), a reminder that ancient surnames could grow from something as humble as a legume.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kekero-
“the ancestral form often reconstructed for the chickpea/nut idea, though the exact pre-Latin origin is uncertain”
Classical Latin
Latin
cicer
“chickpea”
Late Latin
Latin
ciceron-
“a form behind the Roman cognomen Cicero”
Old French
Old French
chiche
“chickpea”
Middle English
English
chiche pease
“chickpeas or chickpea-like peas”
Modern English
English
chickpea
“the edible seed of the chickpea plant”
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