# tomato

Pronunciation: US say "tuh-MAY-toh" /təˈmeɪ.toʊ/; UK/AUS say "tuh-MAH-toh" /təˈmɑː.təʊ/

## Noun

1. The soft, juicy fruit of the tomato plant, usually red when ripe and eaten as a vegetable; also the plant itself.
   - Simple: A soft, juicy fruit, usually red, eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable, or the plant it grows on.
   - _He picked a sun-warmed tomato straight from the vine and ate it whole._
   - _The recipe calls for canned tomatoes simmered with garlic and basil._
2. A shade of red resembling the color of a ripe tomato.
   - Simple: A strong red color, like the skin of a ripe tomato.
   - _The designer chose a deep tomato for the accent wall._
   - _His tie was a vivid tomato against the gray suit._
7. A foolish person, or a stupid blundering act. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A foolish person, or a stupid thing to do.

## Adjective

3. Of a red shade resembling that of a ripe tomato.
   - Simple: Being a strong red color, like a ripe tomato.
   - _The designer specified tomato upholstery for the lounge chairs._
   - _She painted the front door tomato to brighten up the gray street._

## Noun

4. An attractive, desirable-looking woman. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A good-looking, attractive woman.
   - _The detective fell hard for some tomato who walked into his office._
   - _She was the kind of tomato who stopped traffic on the boulevard._

## Verb

5. To add tomatoes to a dish during cooking. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To add tomatoes to a dish while cooking it.
6. To pelt someone or something with tomatoes. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To throw tomatoes at a person or thing.
   - _Disgruntled patrons used to tomato performers who sang badly._
   - _The students tomatoed the visiting speaker in protest._

## Origin

Proto-Nahuan *tomatl gave Classical Nahuatl tomatl, which Spanish took as tomate. English first used tomate too, and tomato is a later variant of that form.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tomato (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).