Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A plant (Solanum melongena) native to India, cultivated for its edible, glossy, usually ovoid fruits that are chiefly purple but can be white, yellow, or green.
- noun A fruit of this plant.
- noun A blackish purple.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The brinjal or aubergine, Solanum Melongena, cultivated for its large oblong or ovate fruit, which is of a dark-purple-color, or sometimes white or yellow. The fruit is highly esteemed as a vegetable. Also called egg-apple, mad-apple.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Bot.) A plant (
Solanum Melongena ), of East Indian origin, allied to the tomato, and bearing a large, glossy, edible fruit, shaped somewhat like an egg; mad-apple. It is widely cultivated for its fruit, commonly eaten as a vegetable. - noun The fruit of the
eggplant{1} .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun
Solanum melongena - noun
Aubergine , the edible fruit of theSolanum melongena . - noun A dark
purple color. - noun slang, derogatory, offensive A
black person (used mainly by Italian-Americans).
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
- noun egg-shaped vegetable having a shiny skin typically dark purple but occasionally white or yellow
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word eggplant.
Examples
-
Pasta with tomato sauce; the eggplant is baked in the oven topped with olive oil, breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper.
-
Kitchen notes: While the eggplant is leaching, make the pesto.
Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Off The (Meat) Rack Ellen Kanner 2010
-
Kitchen notes: While the eggplant is leaching, make the pesto.
Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Off The (Meat) Rack Ellen Kanner 2010
-
Maybe it was because the eggplant is called an "Aubergine", which distracted me long enough to actually taste the eggplant.
Roasted Baby Eggplant aka TBTAM 2009
-
While the eggplant is roasting, prep the other components of the stack.
Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Off The (Meat) Rack Ellen Kanner 2010
-
While the eggplant is roasting, prep the other components of the stack.
Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Off The (Meat) Rack Ellen Kanner 2010
-
Kitchen notes: While the eggplant is leaching, make the pesto.
Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Off The (Meat) Rack Ellen Kanner 2010
-
While the eggplant is roasting, prep the other components of the stack.
Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Off The (Meat) Rack Ellen Kanner 2010
-
My wife prepares this so that the eggplant is on the botton, and is covered with sauted veggies as a topping, similar to a cooked bruschetta, but with the eggplant instead of the bread.
Roasted Baby Eggplant aka TBTAM 2009
-
Most people hear the word eggplant and see the sunrise and feel the need to go back to bed.
mccote commented on the word eggplant
Neither an egg, nor a plant.
December 8, 2006
samme commented on the word eggplant
Talk amongst yourselves! I'll give you a topic, eggplants are neither eggs nor plants. Discuss!
December 9, 2006
seanahan commented on the word eggplant
I'm all verklempt
December 9, 2006
kisholi commented on the word eggplant
eggplant, aubergine and brinjal are all the same vegetable yeah?
March 30, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word eggplant
I saw a photo of a white eggplant once, and suddenly it all became clear, why eggplant deserves to be in the weirdness league.
I decided years ago that eggplants are so beautiful and interesting that I would force myself to keep making eggplant dishes until I found some that I liked. It worked. Now I love the stuff. :)
October 18, 2007
reesetee commented on the word eggplant
Truly, they do belong in the weirdness league.
October 18, 2007
mollusque commented on the word eggplant
Eggplant plant plant plants plants.
(A spy in the aubergine works starts his own garden.)
June 28, 2008
yarb commented on the word eggplant
Deus ex aubergina.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
My Latin is rusty. Is that "Out of eggplants, God"? Or just "God jumped out of an eggplant"?
June 28, 2008
yarb commented on the word eggplant
I'm not sure, but I ardently believe the latter.
June 28, 2008
bilby commented on the word eggplant
I too believe in eggplants.
June 28, 2008
kewpid commented on the word eggplant
They are ridiculously yummy stir-fried in some olive oil.
June 28, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
God or eggplants, kewpid?
June 28, 2008
reesetee commented on the word eggplant
I had no idea you could stir-fry God.
*contemplating*
June 28, 2008
kewpid commented on the word eggplant
It's just a short step away from eating body of Christ.
June 29, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word eggplant
I believe I can fry
I believe I can touch the sky.
June 29, 2008
reesetee commented on the word eggplant
Earworm!
June 29, 2008
bilby commented on the word eggplant
Bit oily for me. I much prefer curried God.
June 29, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word eggplant
I think about it every night* and day
Trim my wings and fry away.
(*Night, especially.)
June 29, 2008
skipvia commented on the word eggplant
Can you imagine a vegetable name (OK, fruit name) less appetizing than "eggplant" or one more enticingly savory than "aubergine?"
More people would probably eat eggplant if we'd quit calling it that.
June 29, 2008
yarb commented on the word eggplant
Goodbye Aubergine;
though I never knew you at all...
June 29, 2008
kewpid commented on the word eggplant
:( This kind of overthinking could destroy my love affair with an otherwise perfectly good vegetable (or fruit).
June 29, 2008
kewpid commented on the word eggplant
:( This kind of overthinking could destroy my love affair with an otherwise perfectly good vegetable (or fruit).
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
God can do anything.
Ergo, She can be stir-fried.
June 29, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word eggplant
Last thought before going to bed:
The most famous popular song in my hometown's dialect is about eggplants. If you want the lyrics, ask me tomorrow.
June 29, 2008
yarb commented on the word eggplant
Lyrics please!
I love aubergines. Have you read the novels of Aubergine Waugh?
June 29, 2008
bilby commented on the word eggplant
This page is becoming nicely chaotic. I'd like to thank all those who have taken the time to plant eggs.
June 29, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word eggplant
Baked eggplants
are good and worth liplicking
Better then broad beans
Much better than eels
But if well seasoned
With garlic and chili
They make your ass sting
The eggplants, the eggplants
They make your ass sting
The eggplants, "dirundundà".
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
My goodness. I never even knew a song about eggplants existed, much less a rowdy one.
I may have to reevaluate Solanum melongena.
June 29, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word eggplant
Here you can listen to the song* (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X5mX67eBAQ).
*Yes, Depeche Mode. People from my hometown have a passion for video-editing and dubbing. One of the most popular local TV programs was based on re-dubbing famous movies in our dialect.
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
Fora di gabbu!!!
OK, I have no idea what that means, but it's on the video comments and sounded cool.
June 29, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word eggplant
HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You made my day!
It's "out of my head", meaning awesome in Sassarese.
I love you Asa.
By the way, did you notice that this song is also about you?
June 29, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
I did, yes. But I trust it was artistic license on the folk that wrote this song. If not, I would like to vigorously disclaim all responsibility. I blame Capsicum frutescens entirely.
And good to know what I said. I love the phrase. I may have to use it sometime. I assume it's pronounced more or less like Italian? And while I'm at it, where is your region?
June 30, 2008
pterodactyl commented on the word eggplant
I've known for some years now that aubergine and courgette are the British English words for what we Americans call eggplant and zucchini. But I can never seem to remember which American word goes with which British word. Mention aubergines to me, and I'll know you're talking about some sort of garden vegetable, but my comprehension ends there.
June 30, 2008
pterodactyl commented on the word eggplant
Oh, and yarb -- your earworm-fu is strong. You've pretty much ensured that Elton John will play in my head for the next few hours. :-)
June 30, 2008
reesetee commented on the word eggplant
Pro, that's delightful! Can you give us those lyrics in your hometown dialect, too? :-)
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
reesetee, this isn't Dialectie, you know.
June 30, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word eggplant
La milinzana in forru
è bona e assai licchitta
è megliu di la fava
più bona di l'anghidda
ma ssi è cundidda bè
cun agliu e pebaroni
ti frizzi un bè ra ganna
la mirinzana la mirinzana
ti frizzi un bè ra ganna
la mirinzana, dirundundà.
June 30, 2008
Prolagus commented on the word eggplant
Asativum can now comment: cess*!
*Exactly the same as jeez.
June 30, 2008
reesetee commented on the word eggplant
Hey. If we can have Foodie, Tunie, Poetrie, and Excrementie*, then we might as well have Dialectie, I say.
*Totally madeupical. See chained_bear.
P.S. Thanks, Pro!
June 30, 2008
asativum commented on the word eggplant
Cess!
July 2, 2008
fbharjo commented on the word eggplant
o ber jean, redux. the white variety is delectable and resembles the color and texture of an egg; hence the name????
March 20, 2009
bilby commented on the word eggplant
The African grocery nearby has tins of 'em labelled garden eggs.
February 10, 2010
Prolagus commented on the word eggplant
Note: for my comment about Asativum, I don't think I meant You probably think this song is about you.
I may be wrong, though.
But I may be right.
February 10, 2010
ruzuzu commented on the word eggplant
I was sure you did. Didn't you? Didn't you?
February 10, 2010
ruzuzu commented on the word eggplant
Pro--I missed out on the song about la mirinzana (copyright or something). Any chance you could sing it for us?
August 31, 2010
supbob91 commented on the word eggplant
found in Merriam Webster's Dictionary pg 25
November 15, 2010