/ ˈəʊbəʒiːn; NAmE ˈoʊbərʒiːn/ ( BrE ) ( NAmE egg·plant ) noun
[ C , U ] a large vegetable with shiny dark purple skin and soft white flesh
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WORD ORIGIN
late 18th cent.: from French , from Catalan alberginia , from Arabic al-bāḏinjān (based on Persian bādingān , from Sanskrit vātiṃgaṇa ).