Fabaceous is an adjective that means "of, relating to, or belonging to the pea family." Some synonyms for fabaceous are leguminous, bean-like, pea-like, pulse-bearing, and leguminose. A leguminous plant refers to one that produces legumes or pods, like peas, beans, and lentils. The term bean-like and pea-like are self-explanatory, as they refer to plants that are similar in appearance to these vegetables. Pulse-bearing refers to plants that produce edible seeds that are commonly used in cooking, like chickpeas, lentils, and peas. Lastly, leguminose is an adjective used to describe the nature of the pea family, which includes over 18,000 species of plants.