aubergine

[ oh-ber-zheen, -jeen, oh-ber-; oh-ber-zheen, -jeen, oh-ber- ]

noun

1. Chiefly British. eggplant.
2. a dark purplish color.

aubergine

/ ˈəʊbəˌʒiːn /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of aubergine¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of aubergine¹

C18: from French, from Catalan alberginia, from Arabic al-bādindjān, ultimately from Sanskrit vatin-ganah, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

“Hillary also looked beautiful in that aubergine dress,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

Big aubergine walls and hedges lined the pathways, some 20 feet high.

From The Daily Beast

All the trappings, including saddle and saddle-cloth, in green and aubergine.

From Project Gutenberg

Just above, inside a building, which is of aubergine and green, is a man sorting the rice.

From Project Gutenberg

A gold base deeply chiselled in wave-diaper and overrun with a paste of aubergine purple is the most pleasing.

From Project Gutenberg

The armour is in green with yellow edgings, belt, &c.; the under-garments in aubergine, and black boots.

From Project Gutenberg

Three colours:—green, a curious shade; yellow, varying from pale to bright; aubergine, also varying in tone.

From Project Gutenberg