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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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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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How does aubergine compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
See Examples For:
She is standing in front of The Barefoot Contessa with her dark hair coaxed into perky curls, wearing a matching aubergine button-down and skirt.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
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
It includes recipe ideas for parties, including Ken Hom's Coronation lamb and Nadiya Hussain's Coronation aubergine.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2023
Instead of white, though, he painted the mantel a dark aubergine and coated the room’s walls and trim in the same color so nothing stood out.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 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
Mr Nicolson also referred to remarks about aubergines by This Morning editor Martin Frizell in response to a question from Sky News about whether there was a "toxic" environment on the show.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2023
Growers there produce around three quarters of the UK cucumber and pepper crops, and a large number of aubergines and tomatoes.
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2023
Ingredients-wise, the old-timers are the lemons and aubergines, the chiles and bottles of olive oil.
From New York Times ● May 4, 2022
Bring to a boil, then add the aubergines, nudging them gently into the sauce so the pieces do not break apart.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 9, 2019
Then, beside these gorgeous fruits, in multitudinous attendance, a confused array of scarlet runners, tomatoes, cabbages, out-tumbled sacks of glazy purple aubergines, mysterious-looking gigantic pumpkins, buckets full of pyramidal maize-cobs, yellow, white-sheathed.
From A Tramp's Sketches by Graham, Stephen
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.
