What does brinjal mean?
Brinjal is the word for the eggplant — the glossy, purple-skinned fruit of Solanum melongena — as it is known throughout South Asia. Though botanically a berry, it is treated as a vegetable and features prominently in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan cooking, appearing in dishes such as brinjal curry, baingan bharta and stuffed brinjal. The term belongs to South Asian English and is rarely encountered in Britain or North America, where 'aubergine' and 'eggplant' are the standard words instead. All three names trace back to the same Dravidian source, making brinjal an interesting example of how a single food can acquire different names across different regions of the English-speaking world.
nounAn eggplant; the large purple fruit of Solanum melongena, eaten as a vegetable.
- The eggplant plant or its edible purple fruit.
"She sliced the brinjal into rounds and fried it with cumin and garlic."
"Add the chopped brinjal to the pan and cook until soft."
"Brinjal is a staple ingredient in many South Indian curries."
Standard plural form; used when referring to multiple fruits of the plant.
"We bought three brinjals at the market."
One vegetable, three continents, three names: Americans say eggplant, Brits say aubergine, and in India it's brinjal — all from the same Sanskrit root.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of brinjal
Brinjal derives from Portuguese 'beringela', which was borrowed from Arabic 'bādhinjān', ultimately from Sanskrit 'vātigama' via Persian. It entered South Asian English through Portuguese colonial contact with India in the 16th century.
How brinjal is actually used
Primarily used in Indian, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and other South Asian varieties of English. In British and American contexts, 'aubergine' and 'eggplant' respectively are preferred.
Easily confused with brinjal
Aubergine is the British term for the same vegetable, whereas brinjal is the term used in South Asian English.
Eggplant is the North American term for the same vegetable, while brinjal is the South Asian equivalent.