tomato

[ tuh-mey-toh, -mah- ]

/ təˈmeɪ toʊ, -ˈmɑ- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tomato ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural to·ma·toes.

any of several plants belonging to the genus Lycopersicon, of the nightshade family, native to Mexico and Central and South America, especially the widely cultivated species L. lycopersicum, bearing a mildly acid, pulpy, usually red fruit eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable.

the fruit itself.

Older Slang: Sometimes Offensive. a girl or woman.

Nearby words

Origin of tomato

1595–1605; 1915–20 for def 3; earlier tomate < Spanish < Nahuatl tomatl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tomato

The tomato sauce is ‘gravy’ to many Italian-Americans of a certain class.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison|Daniel Genis|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sandwich is made with thick tiles of quality bread and adorned with lettuce and tomato.
Become a Fried Seafood Believer at South Beach Market|Jane & Michael Stern|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mongolians bravely swallow a glass of pickled sheep eyeballs mixed into tomato juice to chase away their morning-after blues.
The Wildest Hangover Cures From Around the World|Nina Strochlic|November 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Neighboring families war over who makes the best, most authentic, recipe for everything from tomato sauce to minestrone.
A Young Chef Travels to Calabria, Italy, and Learns the Old Ways of Cooking|Curtis Stone|November 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Tommy and I would leave just after the tomato harvest to travel around Italy.
A Young Chef Travels to Calabria, Italy, and Learns the Old Ways of Cooking|Curtis Stone|November 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Always serve either cream or tomato sauce with croquettes and cutlets and garnish them with parsley or cress.
Mrs. Wilson's Cook Book|Mary A. Wilson
Place on toast, cover with tomato sauce, and put a few leaves of fresh mint on top before serving.
The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book|Victor Hirtzler
Tomato preserves are highly relished by some; likewise tomato pies.
Birds and Nature, Vol. 12 No. 3 [August 1902]|Various
The tomato, by reason of its natural acidity, is readily sterilized and so can be preserved easily in glass or tin.
The Tomato|Paul Work
In one series, tomato and potato cuttings, which had flagged in the cutting bed, revived when grafted.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 795, March 28, 1891|Various

British Dictionary definitions for tomato

tomato

/ (təˈmɑːtəʊ) /

noun plural -toes

a solanaceous plant, Lycopersicon (or Lycopersicum) esculentum, of South America, widely cultivated for its red fleshy many-seeded edible fruits

the fruit of this plant, which has slightly acid-tasting flesh and is eaten in salads, as a vegetable, etc

US and Canadian slang a girl or woman

Word Origin for tomato

C17 tomate, from Spanish, from Nahuatl tomatl

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

Word Origin and History for tomato

tomato

1753, earlier tomate (c.1600), from Spanish tomate (mid-16c.) from Nahuatl tomatl "a tomato," literally "the swelling fruit," from tomana "to swell." Spelling probably influenced by potato (1565).

A member of the nightshade family, all of which contain poisonous alkaloids. Introduced in Europe from the New World, by 1550 they regularly were consumed in Italy but grown only as ornamental plants in England and not eaten there or in the U.S. at first. An encyclopedia of 1753 describes it as "a fruit eaten either stewed or raw by the Spaniards and Italians and by the Jew families of England." Introduced in U.S. as part of a program by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson (1789), but not commonly eaten until after c.1830.

Alternative name love apple and alleged aphrodisiac qualities have not been satisfactorily explained; perhaps from Italian name pomodoro, taken as from adorare "to adore," but probably actually from d'or "of gold" (in reference to color) or de Moro "of the Moors." Slang meaning "an attractive girl" is recorded from 1929, on notion of juicy plumpness.

tomato

noun, plural to·ma·toes.

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Origin of tomato

Examples from the Web for tomato

British Dictionary definitions for tomato

tomato

noun plural -toes

Word Origin for tomato

Word Origin and History for tomato

tomato