Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a type of starchy bean often used to make hummus. The Latin name for garbanzo beans, Cicer arietinum, means "small ram", reflecting the unique shape of this legume that somewhat resembles a ram's head. Garbanzo beans are also referred to as Bengal grams and Egyptian peas.[1]
The Latin term, cicer, is from whence the Latin orator Marcus Tullius Cicero derived his cognomen (Cicero). The Latin cognomen started as a nickname, and evolved into a familiar term: apparently at one point in his family's history, Cicero's family became associated with the chickpea in some way.