Definition

1. 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

1. hairy upright herb native to southeastern Asia but widely cultivated for its large glossy edible fruit commonly used as a vegetable
2. egg-shaped vegetable having a shiny skin typically dark purple but occasionally white or yellow