tomato

 
Pronunciation: /təˈmɑːtəʊ/

noun (plural tomatoes)

  • 1a glossy red, or occasionally yellow, pulpy edible fruit which is eaten as a vegetable or in salad.
  • [mass noun] the bright red colour of a ripe tomato: she got into the tomato Mini and drove away [as modifier]: a tomato red sweatshirt
  • 2the South American plant of the nightshade family which produces the tomato. It is widely grown as a cash crop and many varieties have been developed.
    • Lycopersicon esculentum, family Solanaceae

Derivatives

tomatoey

adjective

Origin:

early 17th century: from French, Spanish, or Portuguese tomate, from Nahuatl tomatl

Spelling help

The plural of tomato is made by adding -es: tomatoes.