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eggplant

American  
[eg-plant, -plahnt] / ˈɛgˌplænt, -ˌplɑnt /

noun

  1. a plant, Solanum melongena esculentum, of the nightshade family, cultivated for its edible, dark-purple or occasionally white or yellow fruit.

  2. the fruit of this plant used as a table vegetable.

  3. a blackish purple color; aubergine.


eggplant British  
/ ˈɛɡˌplɑːnt /

noun

  1. 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

"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

Etymology

Origin of eggplant

First recorded in 1760–70; egg 1 + plant

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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.

Depending on the season, fields are filled with a variety of greens, cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes and peppers, while herbs like basil, black sage, rosemary and marjoram perfume the gardens.

From Los Angeles Times

At the beginning of the summer, I started roasting trays of vegetables — squash, eggplant, red onions, bell peppers — with nothing more than olive oil, salt and pepper.

From Salon

My mother rides our donkey, and my brothers, Isaac and Jacob, carry our provisions—bread and cheese, eggplant empanadillas, roasted eggs, olives cured in salt, dried figs, almonds, and walnuts—and our few belongings.

From Literature

I’d done my best with Mr. O’Malley and his vegetables, but all I could scavenge from his wooden bins were a few wilted eggplants.

From Literature

The garden Chong had helped George plant after his father’s death — bell peppers, tomatoes, strawberries and eggplants — was repeatedly destroyed.

From Los Angeles Times