egg-plant

Definition

Noun
A plant of the nightshade family, Solanum melongena, cultivated for its large, typically purple, ovoid fruit that is used as a vegetable in cooking. The fruit itself is also called "egg-plant".

Usage Examples

• (The fruit of the plant, used as a vegetable.)
• (The plant itself.)
• (The fruit, prepared for cooking.)

Advanced Usage

• "Egg-plant" as a color: The deep purple color of the fruit is often used to describe shades of purple.

  • She wore an egg-plant dress to the party. (A dress of deep purple color.)

• "Egg-plant" in idiomatic contexts: Rarely used idiomatically, but can appear in culinary metaphors.

  • That dish had a smoky egg-plant flavor. (The taste characteristic of cooked egg-plant.)

Variants and Related Words

• Egg-plant (alternative spelling): Often spelled as one word ("eggplant") in modern English, but "egg-plant" is a common hyphenated form.

  • The recipe calls for one medium eggplant. (The same meaning, without hyphen.)

• Aubergine (n): A synonym for "egg-plant" used primarily in British English and French.

  • Aubergine is a staple in Mediterranean cuisine. (The same fruit, with a different name.)

Synonyms

• Aubergine: The fruit of , common in British English.
• Brinjal: A term used in Indian English and other South Asian varieties.
• Garden egg: A smaller, white variety of the fruit, sometimes used in West Africa.

Related Idioms

• "Like an egg-plant": Not a standard idiom, but occasionally used metaphorically to describe something that is purple or bulbous.
  • The old man's nose was purple and swollen like an egg-plant. (Describing a physical appearance, informal.)

Phrasal Verbs

• None directly associated: "Egg-plant" is a noun and does not commonly form phrasal verbs.
• However, in cooking contexts, you may encounter phrases like "stuff an egg-plant" (to fill it with a mixture before baking).
  • We decided to stuff the egg-plant with rice and herbs. (A cooking technique involving the fruit.)