tomato
tomato Lexical Profile
tomato Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The glossy, pulpy, typically bright red edible fruit of a nightshade plant, widely used as a savory vegetable in salads, sauces, soups, and cooked dishes.
"She sliced a ripe tomato and layered it with fresh mozzarella and basil leaves."
The fleshy, multi-seeded botanical berry produced by the plant Solanum lycopersicum, which varies in color from red and yellow to purple and green depending on the cultivar.
"From a botanical standpoint, the tomato is classified as a true berry because it develops directly from the fertilized ovary of the flower."
A sprawling, hairy-stemmed herbaceous plant (Solanum lycopersicum) in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to western South America and cultivated globally for its edible fruit.
"We staked the young tomato in the garden bed to support its heavy branches as it grew."
Word Nuance & Usage
Botanically, a tomato is a berry (fruit) because it develops from the ovary of a flower and contains seeds; however, in culinary, nutritional, and legal contexts (such as the 1893 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Nix v. Hedden), it is classified as a vegetable due to its savory flavor profile.
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Spanish tomate, which derived from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word tomatl, meaning 'plump fruit' or 'swelling fruit'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.