aubergine

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A large vegetable with smooth, shiny dark purple skin, eaten cooked.

   He grilled slices of aubergine for the salad.

2. 2
   noun

   A dark purple color.

   She painted the bedroom walls a deep aubergine.

Unadapted borrowing from French aubergine, from Catalan albergínia, from Arabic اَلْبَاذِنْجَان (al-bāḏinjān, “the aubergine”), from Classical Persian بَادِنْجَان (bādinjān), from بَاتِنْگَان (bātingān), from Sanskrit वातिङ्गण (vātiṅgaṇa, “the plant that cures the wind”), from Dravidian, ultimately from Proto-Dravidian *waẓVtV. Cognate with Malayalam വഴുതനങ്ങ (vaḻutanaṅṅa), Hindi बैंगन (baiṅgan). Doublet of brinjal.

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