eggplant
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A plant: A hairy, upright herb (Solanum melongena) native to southeastern Asia, widely cultivated for its large, glossy, edible fruit.
- A vegetable: The large, egg-shaped fruit of this plant, used as a vegetable. It has a smooth, shiny skin that is typically dark purple but can also be white or yellow.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Plant):
- The farmer grows eggplant in the south field.
- This variety of eggplant has beautiful purple flowers.
- Noun (Vegetable):
- I bought a large, purple eggplant at the market.
- The recipe calls for one eggplant, diced.
- She grilled slices of eggplant with olive oil and herbs.
Advanced Usage
- "like herding eggplants": An informal, humorous variation of "like herding cats," implying a task is futile or chaotic. It emphasizes the absurdity by comparing the difficulty to moving passive, inanimate objects.
- Getting the committee to agree on a plan was like herding eggplants.
Variants and Related Words
- Aubergine (n): The British English term for eggplant.
- The recipe, written in British English, listed 'aubergine' instead of eggplant.
- Brinjal (n): A term for eggplant commonly used in South Asia and South Africa.
- The curry was made with brinjal and potatoes.
Synonyms
- Aubergine (n): Specifically synonymous in British English.
- Brinjal (n): Specifically synonymous in certain regional dialects.
- Fruit vegetable (n): A general category it belongs to (botanically a fruit, culinarily a vegetable).
Related Idioms
- "To plant an eggplant": While not a standard idiom, in creative or instructional contexts, it can literally mean to sow the seeds or transplant a seedling of the eggplant plant.
- In the spring, we plant eggplant seedlings after the last frost.
Noun
- hairy upright herb native to southeastern Asia but widely cultivated for its large glossy edible fruit commonly used as a vegetable
- egg-shaped vegetable having a shiny skin typically dark purple but occasionally white or yellow