eggplant

noun

egg·​plant ˈeg-ˌplant 

ˈāg-

1

a

: a widely cultivated perennial Asian herb (Solanum melongena) of the nightshade family yielding edible fruit

b

: the usually smooth ovoid typically blackish-purple or white fruit of the eggplant

2

: a dark grayish or blackish purple

Examples of eggplant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Happy eating, Cody Mutabbal Mutabbal is a Levantine eggplant dish similar to baba ganoush. — Cooking Editor, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Some of these claims stem from the observation that nicotine is a naturally occurring plant compound found primarily in tobacco and in nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant in trace amounts. — Hasmeena Kathuria, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026

Try the Zambian side dishes like nshima (a cornmeal porridge popular in southern Africa) or the local eggplant known as impwa. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, and sweet corn suffer in a light frost and need to be protected, whereas beets, carrots, onions, and chard tolerate a light frost. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1767, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing eggplant

• Japanese eggplant

Rhymes for eggplant

• decant
• descant
• enchant
• explant
• implant
• preplant
• recant
• replant
• supplant
• transplant
• ant
• aunt

Kids Definition

eggplant

noun

egg·​plant -ˌplant 

1

: a widely cultivated herb that is related to the potato and yields edible fruit

2

: the usually glossy blackish purple egg-shaped fruit of an eggplant