עגבנייה

Hebrew

Etymology

Coined by early religious Zionist Yechiel Michel Pines in 1886, under the influence of German Liebesapfel (literally “love apple”), from the root ע־ג־ב relating to lust. The word's sexual undertones made it initially controversial, but it outcompeted alternative suggestions by the 1940s.

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʕ)aɡ.va.niˈja/

• Audio (Modern Israeli Hebrew):

  (file)

Noun

עגבנייה / עַגְבָנִיָּה • (agvaniyá) f (plural indefinite עַגְבָנִיּוֹת, singular construct עגבניית / עַגְבָנִיַּת־, plural construct עַגְבָנִיּוֹת־)

1. tomato (a widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit)
2. tomato (the savory fruit of this plant, red when ripe, treated as a vegetable in horticulture and cooking)

References

• “עגבנייה” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

• עגבנייה on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he
• כאן עברית | איך קיבלה העגבנייה את שמה?