Matar
/məˈtɑːr/noun
Green peas, especially as used in South Asian cooking.
Did you know?Matar entered English through South Asian culinary usage, while its older Sanskrit ancestor referred to the pea long before the dish became globally familiar.
Etymological Timeline
Sanskrit
Sanskrit
maṭara
“Pea or pulse”
Middle Indo-Aryan
Prakrit
maṭara
“Pea”
Medieval period
Persian
matar
“Pea; likely transmitted through the Indo-Iranian cultural sphere”
Early modern period
Hindi
मटर (maṭar)
“Peas, especially green peas”
20th Century
Indian English
matar
“Green peas used in South Asian cuisine”
Modern English
English
matar
“Green peas, commonly appearing in names such as matar paneer”