aubergine

[ oh-ber-zheen, -jeen, oh-ber-; oh-ber-zheen, -jeen, oh-ber- ]

noun

1. Chiefly British. eggplant.
2. a dark purplish color.

aubergine

/ ˈəʊbəˌʒiːn /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of aubergine¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of aubergine¹

C18: from French, from Catalan alberginia, from Arabic al-bādindjān, ultimately from Sanskrit vatin-ganah, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

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

The Solanaceae family is a vast one with more than 2,500 members including tomatoes, potatoes, chillies, aubergines, peppers, tobacco, deadly nightshade and henbane.

From BBC