What does aubergine mean?
An aubergine is the large, egg-shaped fruit of Solanum melongena, a nightshade family plant cultivated for food across much of Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Although botanically a berry, it is universally treated as a vegetable in the kitchen, prized for its spongy flesh that soaks up oils and sauces in dishes from Italian parmigiana to Indian baingan bharta and Middle Eastern baba ganoush. British English calls it 'aubergine', borrowed from French; American English uses 'eggplant', a name recalling the white, egg-like varieties once grown ornamentally. Beyond the kitchen, 'aubergine' names a deep, glossy purple used widely in fashion, design, and branding to convey richness and sophistication. The word is thus useful both as an everyday cooking term and as a precise, evocative colour descriptor.
The egg-shaped edible fruit of Solanum melongena, with glossy purple skin and soft white flesh, cooked as a vegetable.
"Grill slices of aubergine until charred at the edges, then dress them with tahini and lemon."
Called 'eggplant' in North American English.
A deep glossy purple colour, like the skin of the aubergine.
"She wore an aubergine velvet coat to the opening night."
Regular plural, used when referring to more than one of the vegetables. When denoting the colour, the noun is uncountable and takes no plural.
"The market stall was piled high with plump, gleaming aubergines."
In 18th-century Europe, some varieties of this plant were small, yellow or white, and genuinely looked like goose eggs — which is how Americans ended up calling it 'eggplant'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aubergine
English took 'aubergine' from French, which had adapted it from Catalan 'alberginia' or similar Iberian forms, ultimately tracing back through Arabic 'al-bādhinjān' — with the Arabic definite article preserved in the first syllable — to Sanskrit and Dravidian sources in South Asia, where the plant was first domesticated. It entered English in the late 18th century. The alternative English name 'brinjal' comes directly from the same Arabic word via Portuguese, making the two terms true doublets.
How aubergine is actually used
'Aubergine' is standard in British English and most other varieties outside North America; in American and Canadian English, 'eggplant' is the everyday term, while 'aubergine' may sound affected or culinary-fashionable there. As a colour name, 'aubergine' is used on both sides of the Atlantic for a deep, slightly reddish purple in fashion and interior design. The plural is regular ('aubergines'). The word is uncountable when referring to the colour.
Easily confused with aubergine
'Aubergine' is the British term for exactly the same vegetable that Americans call 'eggplant'; neither word denotes a different species.