aubergine

American  

[oh-ber-zheen, -jeen, oh-ber-, oh-ber-zheen, -jeen, oh-ber-] / ˈoʊ bərˌʒin, -ˌdʒin, ˈoʊ bɛr-, ˌoʊ bərˈʒin, -ˈdʒin, ˌoʊ bɛr- /

noun

1. Chiefly British.  eggplant.

2. a dark purplish color.

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aubergine British  

/ ˈəʊbəˌʒiːn /

noun

1. US, Canadian, and Australian name: eggplant.  a tropical Old World solanaceous plant, Solanum melongena, widely cultivated for its egg-shaped typically dark purple fruit

2. the fruit of this plant, which is cooked and eaten as a vegetable

3. 1. a dark purple colour

   2. ( 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

Compare meaning

How does aubergine compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• aubergine vs. eggplant

Example Sentences

Her interrogators said they would kill her husband and "hit him so much that he would turn black like coal, and purple like an aubergine".

From BBC

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

The new Gucci oxblood red anchored the bold color palette of navy, mustard, olive green and aubergine.

From Seattle Times

The color palette is mostly dark neutral, punctuated by colorful hats in aubergine or turquoise that elongate the form.

From Seattle Times

The design featured a foliate design on an "ornate aubergine coloured" background, the catalogue said.

From BBC