aubergine

American  

[oh-ber-zheen, -jeen, oh-ber-, oh-ber-zheen, -jeen, oh-ber-] / ˈoʊ bərˌʒin, -ˌdʒin, ˈoʊ bɛr-, ˌoʊ bərˈʒin, -ˈdʒin, ˌoʊ bɛr- /

noun

1. Chiefly British. eggplant.

2. a dark purplish color.

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aubergine British  

/ ˈəʊbəˌʒiːn /

noun

1. US, Canadian, and Australian name: eggplant.  a tropical Old World solanaceous plant, Solanum melongena, widely cultivated for its egg-shaped typically dark purple fruit

2. the fruit of this plant, which is cooked and eaten as a vegetable

3. 1. a dark purple colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      an aubergine dress

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Etymology

Origin of aubergine

First recorded in 1785–95; from French, from Catalan albargínia, from Arabic al “the” + bādhinjān “eggplant,” from Persian bādingān, perhaps from Indo-Aryan; compare Sanskrit vātiṅgaṇaḥ

Compare meaning

How does aubergine compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• aubergine vs. eggplant

Explanation

An aubergine is a plant that grows large, dark purple fruits. If you live in North America, you probably call aubergines "eggplants." People who live in the United Kingdom use the word aubergine for these big, heavy, squash-like fruits. You probably think of them as vegetables, whether you call them aubergines or eggplants. One common way to serve them is fried in bread crumbs and covered in melty cheese. The word aubergine has a Sanskrit root, and it's commonly used to describe the rich, deep purple color of a ripe aubergine.

Example Sentences

For example, Wendy Hui from Hong Kong modified her aubergine Amuseable by drawing dark circles around its eyes and putting a pair of glasses on it.

From BBC • Jan. 3, 2026

The bows danced as the models walked down the runway during the collection’s show at the Prada Foundation in Milan in tone-on-tone aubergine and baby pink iterations styled with black knee-high boots.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2024

From left, that’s Harry Shum Jr. in aubergine, Stephanie Hsu in tangerine, Yeoh in black and fuchsia, and Ke Huy Quan in claret.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 22, 2023

He loved, instead, in-between, indeterminate hues: mauve, lilac, acid green and aubergine.

From Washington Post • Mar. 16, 2022

I wore a sleeveless aubergine dress to Barack’s address to the joint session of Congress and a sleeveless black sheath dress for my official White House photo, and suddenly my arms were making headlines.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama