Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Cowpea \Cow"pea`\, n. (Bot.)
   A leguminous plant ({Vigna Sinensis}, syn. {V. Catjang})
   found throughout the tropics of the Old World. It is
   extensively cultivated in the Southern United States for
   fodder, and the seed is used as food for man.