aubergine

/ˈoʊ.bɚ.ʒin/

UK: /ˈəʊ.bə.ʒiːn/

OƱ · bɚ · ʒin (3 syllables)

English Noun

Definition

An Asian plant, Solanum melongena, cultivated for its edible purple, green, or white ovoid fruit; eggplant.

Etymology

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.