pease

• IPA^(key): /piːz/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Homophone: peas
• Rhymes: -iːz

From Middle English pese (“pea”), from Old English pise (“pea”), from Late Latin pisa, variant of Latin pisum (“pea”), from Ancient Greek πίσον (píson), variant of πίσος (písos).

pease (plural peasen)

1. (archaic) Alternative form of pea (“common plant; its edible seed”)

• The original singular was pease (meaning “a pea”), and the plural was peasen. Because of the final [z]-sound, the singular then came to be reinterpreted as a plural form, leading to the backformation of a new singular pea.

• pease porridge
• pease pudding
• split pease

From Anglo-Norman paiser, pesser et al., Old French paisier, aphetic form of apaisier (“to appease”). Probably also partly from aphetic use of appease.

pease (third-person singular simple present peases, present participle peasing, simple past and past participle peased)

1. (obsolete) To make peace between (conflicting people, states etc.); to reconcile.
2. (obsolete) To bring (a war, conflict) to an end.
3. (obsolete) To placate, appease (someone).
   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew xxviij]:

     And yf this come to the rulers eares, we wyll pease him, and make you safe.