eggplant
Americannoun
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a plant, Solanum melongena esculentum, of the nightshade family, cultivated for its edible, dark-purple or occasionally white or yellow fruit.
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the fruit of this plant used as a table vegetable.
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a blackish purple color; aubergine.
noun
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a tropical Old World solanaceous plant, Solanum melongena, widely cultivated for its egg-shaped typically dark purple fruit
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the fruit of this plant, which is cooked and eaten as a vegetable
Etymology
Origin of eggplant
Compare meaning
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Explanation
An eggplant is a large, purple-skinned vegetable that is especially delicious breaded, fried, and covered with cheese and red sauce. Eggplants are one of those foods that we think of as a vegetables but are officially considered fruits. While an eggplant isn't particularly nutrient-dense, its spongy texture has an amazing ability to absorb flavors and oils, making it fun to cook with. Your experience with eggplants may include the Mediterranean dip baba ghanoush or cheesy eggplant parmesan sandwiches. The name comes from less-common white varieties that resemble eggs.
Vocabulary lists containing eggplant
Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
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Purple
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One of her new dishes — Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato and Eggplant Ragu — is perfect for skeptics.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2024
Her latest work is entitled “Misunderstood Vegetables,” subtitled “How to Fall in Love with Sunchokes, Rutabaga, Eggplant, and More,” and it really is a book about love and understanding.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2024
Eggplant layered with cinnamon-spiced ground beef and béchamel-topped potatoes makes for a comforting moussaka.
From Washington Post • Feb. 20, 2023
Eggplant parmigiana isn't usually my go to, but the mother-and-son duo in the kitchen just knocked it out of the park.
From Salon • Oct. 23, 2022
Eggplant is excellent in this curry instead of tomatoes.
From The Khaki Kook Book A Collection of a Hundred Cheap and Practical Recipes Mostly from Hindustan by Core, Mary Kennedy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
