Meanings
plural brinjals · alternative bringal · alternative bringall · alternative bringaul · alternative brinjall · alternative brinjaul
- MalaysiaSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth AsiaAn aubergine or eggplant.
Hindustan produces abundance of wheat, and throughout India the natives are plentifully supplied with vegetables and fruit; the brinjal, tomato, yam, carrot, radish, onion, garlic, spinach cabbage, nowkohl, cucumbers, and other gourds, may be mentioned among the former
1858, George Trevor, India, an historical sketch, page 14Synonyms: the list at eggplant
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn aubergine or eggplant.
More synonyms by meaning
nounhairy upright herb native to southeastern Asia but widely cultivated for its large glossy edible fruit commonly used as a vegetable
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Dravidian*waẓVtV
- Sanskritवातिङ्गण (vātiṅgaṇa)
- Classical Persianبَاذِنْگَان (bāzingān)
- Arabicبَاذِنْجَان (bāḏinjān)
- Old Galician-Portugueseberengenha
- Portugueseberingela
- Englishbrinjal
Borrowed from Portuguese beringela, from Old Galician-Portuguese berengenha, borrowed from Arabic بَاذِنْجَان (bāḏinjān), borrowed from Classical Persian بَاذِنْگَان (bāzingān), borrowed from Sanskrit वातिङ्गण (vātiṅgaṇa), from Proto-Dravidian *waẓVtV. Doublet of aubergine, malidzano, and melongene.
More words from Portuguese
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
brinjal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brinjal
“brinjal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brinjal. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brinjal,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brinjal.
Source: brinjal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.