Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An Indian plant (Solanum melongena var. esculenta) cultivated for its large edible, ovoid, glossy, usually purple-skinned fruit.
- n. The fruit of this plant. Also called aubergine, melongene.
- n. A blackish purple.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. 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.
Wiktionary
- n. Solanum melongena
- n. Aubergine, the edible fruit of the Solanum melongena.
- n. A dark purple color.
- n. slang, derogatory, offensive A black person (used mainly by Italian-Americans).
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (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.
- n. The fruit of the eggplant{1}.
WordNet 3.0
- n. hairy upright herb native to southeastern Asia but widely cultivated for its large glossy edible fruit commonly used as a vegetable
- n. egg-shaped vegetable having a shiny skin typically dark purple but occasionally white or yellow
Etymologies
- From egg + plant, originally applied only to the white-colored variety. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Kitchen notes: While the eggplant is leaching, make the pesto.”
The Huffington Post: Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Off The (Meat) Rack
“While the eggplant is roasting, prep the other components of the stack.”
The Huffington Post: Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: Off The (Meat) Rack
“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.”
“Maybe it was because the eggplant is called an "Aubergine", which distracted me long enough to actually taste the eggplant.”
“Pasta with tomato sauce; the eggplant is baked in the oven topped with olive oil, breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper.”
“Most people hear the word eggplant and see the sunrise and feel the need to go back to bed.”
The Huffington Post: One For The Table: Potatoes That You Have to Love
“In 1992, shortly after Tim Drake debuted as the fourth Robin, the Batman comics introduced Spoiler: a female acrobatic masked vigilante in eggplant-colored tights and cape.”
“To steam-fry, eggplant is briefly sautéed, which helps develop its flavor, and then steamed in a covered pan until the eggplant is fully cooked.”
“Apparently, the white eggplant is the oldest cultivated eggplant, with some suggesting that the egg-colored and egg-shaped globes were the reason for calling it an eggplant in the first place.”
“If the eggplant is fresh, there is no need to take the trouble of peeling the eggplant, or of salting it to draw out the bitterness.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘eggplant’.
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Americanism
American words
finest, fast food, acclimate, aluminum, alphabetize, airplane, affirmative action, arugula, backhoe, bangs, base board, bayou and 162 more...
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Uncommon Colours
azure, myrtle, periwinkle, viridian, jade, emerald, lime, chartreuse, asparagus, celadon, harlequin, olive and 147 more...
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Crayon Colors
This is a continuing list of Crayon Colors past and present. As I find new ones added to the "box", I will add them here as well!
black, blue, brown, apricot, bittersweet, blue green, blue violet, brick red, burnt sienna, carnation pink, cornflower, flesh and 134 more...
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food collection
bread, peel, pot, chorizo, Filet, olive, fill, Phyllo, dough, bake, mat, pinot and 988 more...
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Colour Me Happy
violet, lavender, rose, eggshell, mauve, fuschia, grey, azure, almond, sienna, purple, periwinkle and 71 more...
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You probably think this list is about...
Don't you?
Don't you?You're so vain., You probably thin..., Carly Simon, Mick Jagger, Warren Beatty, warren beatty, I had some dreams..., You probably thin..., James Reyne or Rain, David Geffen, cravat, gavotte and 17 more...
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Colors/Patterns/Prints/Textures
fritillary, chartreuse, tortoise-shell, brindle, burnt orange, cerulean, amaranth, sandy, amber, mold, fungus, kiwi and 65 more...
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November Words-10031
Godspeed, odious, affinity, cicatrix, air lift, domino, dominance, eggplant, donkey, tug boat, trifle, sculpture and 8 more...
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Gas-Inducing Foodstuffs
Foods that produce flatulence. List title a shameless filching of a fortuitous phrase yarb introduced in his definition of scotch egg. I know everyone has a few foods they avoid at certain times ...
scotch egg, cabbage, chili beans, garbanzo beans, chickpeas, hummus, pickled eggs, rutabaga, radish, jerusalem artichoke, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and 42 more...
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Color Words for Shoes
Vendors can get oddly creative.
amaranth, brindle, iguana, slate black, madder brown, bison, pinecone, seal brown, forest night, burnt orange, monument, beet red and 399 more...
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Foodie
As much fun to say as they are to eat.
blueberry, cider, almond, apricot, asparagus, banana, fudge, foldover, flapjacks, filbert, fig, biscuit and 217 more...
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eggplantia5's Words
scintillate, marvel, cranberry, oscillate, triumph, bamboozle, grimace, magical, book, hexagon, cipher, compendium and 2727 more...
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Groceries
strawberries, baby spinach, black beans, cinnamon, oranges, apples, fstg multigrain t..., olive oil, simply orange juice, tomato sauce, wholly guacamole, salt sense and 115 more...
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Favorite Tangible Object Words
Trimming the "Chained Bear's Favorites" list so I don't crash people's computers... like my own...
castanets, whaup, budgie, wallabies, ring-wraith, hobbit, chinchilla, guano, merganser, phalarope, phalarope, curlew and 138 more...
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aliko's Words
deli, turkey, bodrum, deniz, sunny, seks, tatil, hava, zeeman, captain, kapitein, kaptan and 256 more...
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spoon
being items relating to food, cooking and the kitchen.
spoon, fork, beef, slice, dozen, eggs, simmer, broil, salad, soup, stock, lard and 287 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for eggplant.
supbob91 found in Merriam Webster's Dictionary pg 25 Nov 15, 2010
ruzuzu Pro--I missed out on the song about la mirinzana (copyright or something). Any chance you could sing it for us? Aug 31, 2010
ruzuzu I was sure you did. Didn't you? Didn't you? Feb 10, 2010
Prolagus 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. Feb 10, 2010
bilby The African grocery nearby has tins of 'em labelled garden eggs. Feb 10, 2010
fbharjo o ber jean, redux. the white variety is delectable and resembles the color and texture of an egg; hence the name???? Mar 20, 2009
asativum Cess! Jul 2, 2008
reesetee 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! Jun 30, 2008
Prolagus Asativum can now comment: cess*!
*Exactly the same as jeez. Jun 30, 2008
Prolagus 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. Jun 30, 2008
asativum reesetee, this isn't Dialectie, you know. Jun 30, 2008
reesetee Pro, that's delightful! Can you give us those lyrics in your hometown dialect, too? :-) Jun 30, 2008
pterodactyl 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. :-) Jun 30, 2008
pterodactyl 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. Jun 30, 2008
asativum 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? Jun 29, 2008
Prolagus 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? Jun 29, 2008
asativum Fora di gabbu!!!
OK, I have no idea what that means, but it's on the video comments and sounded cool. Jun 29, 2008
Prolagus 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. Jun 29, 2008
asativum My goodness. I never even knew a song about eggplants existed, much less a rowdy one.
I may have to reevaluate Solanum melongena. Jun 29, 2008
Prolagus 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". Jun 29, 2008
bilby This page is becoming nicely chaotic. I'd like to thank all those who have taken the time to plant eggs. Jun 29, 2008
yarb Lyrics please!
I love aubergines. Have you read the novels of Aubergine Waugh? Jun 29, 2008
Prolagus 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. Jun 29, 2008
asativum God can do anything.
Ergo, She can be stir-fried. Jun 29, 2008
kewpid :( This kind of overthinking could destroy my love affair with an otherwise perfectly good vegetable (or fruit). Jun 29, 2008
kewpid :( This kind of overthinking could destroy my love affair with an otherwise perfectly good vegetable (or fruit). Jun 29, 2008
yarb Goodbye Aubergine;
though I never knew you at all... Jun 29, 2008
skipvia 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. Jun 29, 2008
Prolagus I think about it every night* and day
Trim my wings and fry away.
(*Night, especially.) Jun 29, 2008
bilby Bit oily for me. I much prefer curried God. Jun 29, 2008
reesetee Earworm! Jun 29, 2008
Prolagus I believe I can fry
I believe I can touch the sky. Jun 29, 2008
kewpid It's just a short step away from eating body of Christ. Jun 29, 2008
reesetee I had no idea you could stir-fry God.
*contemplating* Jun 28, 2008
asativum God or eggplants, kewpid? Jun 28, 2008
kewpid They are ridiculously yummy stir-fried in some olive oil. Jun 28, 2008
bilby I too believe in eggplants. Jun 28, 2008
yarb I'm not sure, but I ardently believe the latter. Jun 28, 2008
asativum My Latin is rusty. Is that "Out of eggplants, God"? Or just "God jumped out of an eggplant"? Jun 28, 2008
yarb Deus ex aubergina. Jun 28, 2008
mollusque Eggplant plant plant plants plants.
(A spy in the aubergine works starts his own garden.) Jun 28, 2008
reesetee Truly, they do belong in the weirdness league. Oct 18, 2007
chained_bear 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. :) Oct 18, 2007
kisholi eggplant, aubergine and brinjal are all the same vegetable yeah? Mar 29, 2007
seanahan I'm all verklempt Dec 9, 2006
samme Talk amongst yourselves! I'll give you a topic, eggplants are neither eggs nor plants. Discuss! Dec 9, 2006
mccote Neither an egg, nor a plant. Dec 8, 2006