tomato

noun

to·​ma·​to tə-ˈmā-(ˌ)tō 

chiefly in Britain, eastern New England, northeastern Virginia, and sometimes elsewhere in cultivated speech

-ˈmä- 

 chiefly in Northern US  -ˈma-

plural tomatoes

1

: the usually large, rounded, edible, pulpy berry of an herb (genus Solanum) of the nightshade family native to South America that is typically red but may be yellow, orange, green, or purplish in color and is eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable

2

: a plant that produces tomatoes

especially : any of various varieties of a tender perennial (Solanum lycopersicum synonym Lycopersicon esculentum) widely cultivated as an annual

How is tomato pronounced?: Usage Guide

The original pronunciation of this Spanish loanword was with stressed \ä\, as was also the case for potato. The older \ä\ pronunciation of potato is found in Robert Burns' poem "Holy Willie's Prayer" and persists in some Scottish dialects. Perhaps because potato has been part of English longer than tomato, its pronunciation has been anglicized in most dialects, with the stressed \ä\ vowel becoming \ā\, like the a in Plato (from Greek) and dado (from Italian). The pronunciation of tomato began the same journey of anglicization but was halted halfway between, so that British and some Eastern American dialects have the older \ä\ while the others have the newer \ā\. Tomato, being the name of a New World plant, might have entered the English language first in the Americas, where it would have had more time to undergo anglicization in American mouths. The various pronunciations of tomato are all acceptable in standard English.

Examples of tomato in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Add tomato water and remaining sprig of basil to the vinegar mixture. —Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Apr. 2024

Prepared with cilantro rice, guajillo chiles, chipotle and tomato, the fish was mild and sweet with a kick from the spicy sauce. —Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024

Related Articles One interesting new twist for this year is a tomato trial. —Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024

The sandwich is definitely stacked, with layers of sliced turkey, strips of bacon, provolone, thick rounds of tomato and lettuce, plus mayo and mustard. —Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024

Add pasta to tomatoes and cooked, stirring gently, about 1 minute. —Yakir Levy, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024

It’s made by simmering spaghetti in spicy tomato sauce until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is mostly absorbed or evaporated and about as thick as tomato paste. —Dan Pashman, Saveur, 11 Apr. 2024

In addition to veggies like sweet peppers and tomatoes, this dish also has red kidney beans to give it some protein. —Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2024

There’s plenty of room to entertain and/or plant an urban garden with homegrown tomatoes and herbs. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier tomate, from Spanish, from Nahuatl tomatl

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tomato

• beefsteak tomato
• cherry tomato
• husk-tomato
• plum tomato
• strawberry tomato
• tomato fruitworm
• tomato hornworm
• tomato ketchup
• tree tomato

Kids Definition

tomato

noun

to·​ma·​to tə-ˈmāt-ō 

also

-ˈmät- 

plural tomatoes

1

: a usually large rounded red or sometimes yellow pulpy berry that is eaten as a vegetable

2

: a widely grown South American plant of the nightshade family that produces tomatoes

Etymology

derived from Spanish tomate "tomato," from the name for this plant in the ancient language of the Aztecs