Cicer Arietinum

The chickpea plant species, of the pea family Fabaceae. Cicer was the classical Latin name for chickpea, and arietinum means ram’s head, in reference to the pea’s shape. This Latin name is taken from the Cicero family’s common crop, and the cognomen of the Roman statesman and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, as recorded by Pliny. Columella was the first author to use the word arietinum in reference to the seed. Researchers claim the word cicer derives from the Semitic kikar, which means round.