aubergine
Americannoun
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US, Canadian, and Australian name: eggplant. a tropical Old World solanaceous plant, Solanum melongena, widely cultivated for its egg-shaped typically dark purple fruit
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the fruit of this plant, which is cooked and eaten as a vegetable
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a dark purple colour
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( as adjective )
an aubergine dress
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Etymology
Origin of aubergine
First recorded in 1785–95; from French, from Catalan albargínia, from Arabic al “the” + bādhinjān “eggplant,” from Persian bādingān, perhaps from Indo-Aryan; compare Sanskrit vātiṅgaṇaḥ
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Explanation
An aubergine is a plant that grows large, dark purple fruits. If you live in North America, you probably call aubergines "eggplants." People who live in the United Kingdom use the word aubergine for these big, heavy, squash-like fruits. You probably think of them as vegetables, whether you call them aubergines or eggplants. One common way to serve them is fried in bread crumbs and covered in melty cheese. The word aubergine has a Sanskrit root, and it's commonly used to describe the rich, deep purple color of a ripe aubergine.
Vocabulary lists containing aubergine
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The bows danced as the models walked down the runway during the collection’s show at the Prada Foundation in Milan in tone-on-tone aubergine and baby pink iterations styled with black knee-high boots.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2024
From left, that’s Harry Shum Jr. in aubergine, Stephanie Hsu in tangerine, Yeoh in black and fuchsia, and Ke Huy Quan in claret.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 22, 2023
Her winning menu featured sea bass cured in a citrus dressing with a smoked aubergine puree, and a side of aubergine crisps.
From BBC • Dec. 12, 2022
He loved, instead, in-between, indeterminate hues: mauve, lilac, acid green and aubergine.
From Washington Post • Mar. 16, 2022
As Sefia and Archer entered, their footsteps making soft depressions in a thick carpet of red and gold, a man in a dirty aubergine overcoat closed the door behind them.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
