[to.ma.to] n, pl -toes [alter. of earlier tomate, fr. Sp, fr. Nahuatl tomatl] (1604) 1: the usu. large rounded typically red or yellow pulpy berry of a tomato
2: any of a genus (Lycopersicon) of So. American herbs of the nightshade family; esp: one (L. lycopersicum syn. L. esculentum) that is more or less perennial in its native habitat but is widely cultivated as an annual for its edible fruit