tomato

noun

Pronunciation: /təˈmɑː.təʊ/ / /təˈmeɪ.toʊ/ / [tʰəˈmeɪɾo]

Etymology: Variant of earlier tomate, from Spanish tomate, from Classical Nahuatl tomatl, from Proto-Nahuan *toma-tl. Compare tomatillo.

Of a shade of red, the colour of a ripe tomato.
“Her face is on the cover: the Anne Estelle Rice portrait – or the black-eyed Japanese-bobbed head-and-shoulders bit of it – and the square-yoked dress is tomato, or pomegranate, but never persimmon. If it stayed too long in the sun and faded, well yes, maybe then…”
“And she’d slathered a heavy layer of foundation over the raw skin of her face with the end result being a complexion that was more tomato than orange.”

Etymology: Variant of earlier tomate, from Spanish tomate, from Classical Nahuatl tomatl, from Proto-Nahuan *toma-tl. Compare tomatillo.

A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit.
The savory fruit of this plant, most often red when ripe, treated as a vegetable in horticulture and cooking.
“He was chopping a tomato to put in the salad.”
“He was eating a tomato when his boss called him.”
A shade of red, the colour typical of a ripe tomato.
An attractive woman.
“Deborah Harry, the New Wave goddess, is finally admitting -- after all the peroxide and posturing of the 1970's and 80's -- that she's really just a tomato (her word) from Paterson […].”
“When she left the room, I asked Robert, “Who's the tomato?” “Marisa. She's from Mexico.” He had a telltale smile on his face.”
A stupid act or person.

Etymology: Variant of earlier tomate, from Spanish tomate, from Classical Nahuatl tomatl, from Proto-Nahuan *toma-tl. Compare tomatillo.