[syn: eggplant, aubergine, brinjal, eggplant bush, garden egg, mad apple, Solanum melongena]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
eggplant \egg"plant`\, egg-plant \egg-plant\, n.
1. (Bot.) A plant (Solanum Melongena), of East Indian
origin, allied to the tomato, and bearing a large, glossy,
edible fruit, shaped somewhat like an egg; mad-apple. It
is widely cultivated for its fruit, commonly eaten as a
vegetable.
Syn: eggplant, aubergine, brinjal, eggplant bush, garden egg,
mad apple, Solanum melongena.
[1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5]
2. The fruit of the eggplant[1].
[PJC]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
eggplant
n 1: egg-shaped vegetable having a shiny skin typically dark
purple but occasionally white or yellow [syn: eggplant,
aubergine, mad apple]
2: hairy upright herb native to southeastern Asia but widely
cultivated for its large glossy edible fruit commonly used as
a vegetable [syn: eggplant, aubergine, brinjal,
eggplant bush, garden egg, mad apple, Solanum
melongena]