Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The East Indian name of the fruit of the egg-plant, Solanum Melongena.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun India (Malaysia) An aubergine or eggplant.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun hairy upright herb native to southeastern Asia but widely cultivated for its large glossy edible fruit commonly used as a vegetable

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Portuguese brinjela, ultimately from Sanskrit भण्टाकी (bhaṇṭākī, "aubergine"). Sanskrit word is likely of Dravidian origin, from the source that also ultimately gave English aubergine.

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Examples

  • The meetings are a response by Union Minister for Environment Jairam Ramesh to a storm of protests generated by the approval issued by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) in October last year for the commercial cultivation of the genetically modified 'brinjal' - also called 'aubergine' - to resist pests with a gene from the soil bacteria 'Bacillus thuringiensis' (Bt brinjal).

    CommonDreams.org Headlines 2010

  • The meetings are a response by Union Minister for Environment Jairam Ramesh to a storm of protests generated by the approval issued by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) in October last year for the commercial cultivation of the genetically modified 'brinjal' - also called 'aubergine' or 'eggplant' - to resist pests with a gene from the soil bacteria

    Global Issues News Headlines 2010

  • The meetings are a response by Union Minister for Environment Jairam Ramesh to a storm of protests generated by the approval issued by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) in October last year for the commercial cultivation of the genetically modified 'brinjal' - also called 'aubergine' or 'eggplant' - to resist pests with a gene from the soil bacteria

    Global Issues News Headlines 2010

  • The consultations were being held in the wake of strong views raised both for and against the introduction of Bt brinjal, a transgenic brinjal created by inserting a gene cry1Ac from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into brinjal, which is said to have given the brinjal plant resistance against lepidopteran insects, Dr. Mohanan said.

    The Hindu - Front Page 2010

  • Karnataka is one of the leading producers of brinjal, which is grown in about 15,000 hectares with an annual production of about 3.6 lakh tonnes.

    Analysis 2010

  • Eggplant, Solanum melongena, is native to tropical Asia, with China as usual claiming the original, although a good case could be made for India, where it is known as brinjal, a word that derives from Sanskrit.

    The Berkeley Daily Planet, The East Bay's Independent Newspaper By Shirley Barker 2010

  • Discussions in media did not bother to bring out fully the long term damage of GM cotton when efforts were being made to bulldoze use of GM brinjal, which is sometimes used even for medicinal purposes.

    IntelliBriefs Naxal Watch 2010

  • New Delhi -- India is to take a decision next week on whether to allow commercial production of genetically modified eggplant or aubergine or simply known as brinjal in the country with the pro and anti-lobby groups raising the pitch.

    The Earth Times Online Newspaper 2010

  • Opposition to a GM version of brinjal, which is one of India's favorite vegetables and thought to have originated in India, China or Iran, came not only from civil society groups but also the provincial governments of several states including Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal,

    Asia Times Online 2010

  • Opposition to a GM version of brinjal, which is one of India's favorite vegetables and thought to have originated in India, China or Iran, came not only from civil society groups but also the provincial governments of several states including Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal,

    Asia Times Online 2010

Comments

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  • The definition given, "The East Indian name of the fruit of the egg-plant", is not entirely accurate. My Anglo-Indian father calls it brinjal, but it seems that this word is only preferred by Anglo-Indians. In Indian English among first-language Punjabi and Hindi speakers, the more common word is baingan. I have heard brinjal used in tamizh-language films, so perhaps it is more common in South India.

    June 18, 2009