aubergine
aubergine Lexical Profile
• noun
British A plant of the nightshade family (Solanum melongena), bearing a fleshy, egg-shaped, typically dark purple fruit that is cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
"She prepared a rich, comforting moussaka using layers of freshly roasted aubergines."
A dark brownish-purple or blackish-purple color, resembling the skin of the aubergine fruit.
"The designer chose a deep aubergine for the velvet curtains in the study."
Word Nuance & Usage
Aubergine is the standard term used in British, Irish, and Commonwealth English, whereas 'eggplant' is the standard term in North American English. It also commonly functions as a color term for a deep brownish-purple.
Word Origin & Etymology
From French 'aubergine', derived from Catalan 'albergínia', which traces back through Arabic 'al-bāḏinjān' and Persian 'bādenjān' to Sanskrit 'vātiṅgaṇa'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.