tomato
pronunciation
How to pronounce tomato in British English:
UK [təˈmɑːtəʊ]
How to pronounce tomato in American English:
US [təˈmeɪtoʊ]
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- Noun:
- mildly acid red or yellow pulpy fruit eaten as a vegetable
- native to South America; widely cultivated in many varieties
Word Origin
- tomato (n.)
- 1753, earlier tomate (c. 1600), from Spanish tomate (mid-16c.) from Nahuatl (Aztecan) tomatl "a tomato," said to mean literally "the swelling fruit," from tomana "to swell." Spelling probably influenced by potato (1565). Slang meaning "an attractive girl" is recorded from 1929, on notion of juicy plumpness. A member of the nightshade family, all of which contain poisonous alkaloids. Introduced in Europe from the New World, by 1550 they regularly were consumed in Italy but grown only as ornamental plants in England and not eaten there or in the U.S. at first. An encyclopedia of 1753 describes it as "a fruit eaten either stewed or raw by the Spaniards and Italians and by the Jew families of England." Introduced in U.S. 1789 as part of a program by then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, but not commonly eaten until after c. 1830. Alternative name love apple and alleged aphrodisiac qualities have not been satisfactorily explained; perhaps from Italian name pomodoro, taken as from adorare "to adore," but probably rather from d'or "of gold" (in reference to color) or de Moro "of the Moors."
Example
- 1. The tomato is the world 's most popular fruit .
- 2. Spoon tomato mixture over toast pieces .
- 3. He reset a patch of land with tomato plants .
- 4. The fiery tomato and couscous soup fantastic !
- 5. Swap creamy sauces for tomato or vegetable based options .