the.com/aubergine
a fruit cosplaying as a vegetable in a color it named after itself.
means A glossy, deep-purple fruit eaten as a vegetable (also called eggplant), and by extension the rich dark-purple color named after it.
from A well-traveled word: English borrowed it from French aubergine, which took it from Catalan albergínia, which got it from Arabic al-bāḏinjān — the al- being the Arabic article 'the' fused on for good. The Arabic itself came from Persian bādingān, ultimately traceable back to Sanskrit vātiṅgaṇa. So the word island-hopped across Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Catalan, and French before reaching English, picking up syllables like a snowball. (The 'eggplant' name, by contrast, comes from early white, egg-shaped varieties that genuinely looked like eggs on a vine.)
- actually berry
- Botanically a berry, like the tomato
- nightshade kin
- Related to deadly nightshade, tobacco, potato
- emoji exile
- Banned as a search term on Instagram
- color namesake
- Lent its name to the deep purple shade
- global aliases
- Eggplant, brinjal, melongene across continents
eggplant parmesan — italian dish layered with breaded aubergine, tomato sauce, and cheese, popular in southern italy since the 18th century
baba ganoush — levantine dip made from roasted aubergine, tahini, and garlic, traditional throughout middle east and mediterranean
imam baildi — turkish stuffed aubergine dish with onions, garlic, and tomatoes, name means 'the imam fainted' from its deliciousness