aubergine

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

/ ˈoʊ bərˌʒin, -ˌdʒin, ˈoʊ bɛr-; ˌoʊ bərˈʒin, -ˈdʒin, ˌoʊ bɛr- /

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noun

Chiefly British. eggplant.

a dark purplish color.

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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

Words nearby aubergine

aubade, Aubanel, Aube, Auber, auberge, aubergine, Aubervilliers, Aubrey, aubrietia, auburn, Aubusson

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use aubergine in a sentence

“Hillary also looked beautiful in that aubergine dress,” he said.
Chelsea's Wedding Dress Knockoff|Claire Howorth|August 2, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Big aubergine walls and hedges lined the pathways, some 20 feet high.
Gal with a Suitcase|Jolie Hunt|April 18, 2010|DAILY BEAST
All the trappings, including saddle and saddle-cloth, in green and aubergine.
Chats on Oriental China|J. F. Blacker
Just above, inside a building, which is of aubergine and green, is a man sorting the rice.
Chats on Oriental China|J. F. Blacker

A gold base deeply chiselled in wave-diaper and overrun with a paste of aubergine purple is the most pleasing.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 2|Various
The armour is in green with yellow edgings, belt, &c.; the under-garments in aubergine, and black boots.
Chats on Oriental China|J. F. Blacker
Three colours:—green, a curious shade; yellow, varying from pale to bright; aubergine, also varying in tone.
Chats on Oriental China|J. F. Blacker

British Dictionary definitions for aubergine

aubergine

/ (ˈəʊbəˌʒiːn) /

noun

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

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

a dark purple colour
(as adjective)an aubergine dress

Word Origin for aubergine

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012