Eggplant - Etymology

Etymology

Some 18th-century European cultivars which were yellow or white resembled goose or hen's eggs, hence the name "eggplant." The name "aubergine" is from the French, a diminutive of auberge, a variant of alberge, ‘a kind of peach’ or from the Spanish alberchigo or alverchiga, ‘an apricocke’. It may be also be derived from Catalan albergínia, from Arabic al-baðinjān from Persian bâdenjân, cognate with Sanskrit vātiga-gama).

Aubergine is also the name of the purple color resembling that of the fruit, and is a commonly known color scheme

In Indian, South African, Malaysian and Singaporean English, the fruit is called baigan brinjal, being derived directly from the Portuguese beringela. A less common British English word is melongene, which is also from French (derived) from Italian melanzana from Greek μελιτζάνα. In the Caribbean Trinidad, it also goes by meloongen from melongene.

In Indian native languages Hindi and Urdu, it is called "Baingan"or"Baigan".

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