German edit

Etymology edit

Ei (egg) +‎ -er- +‎ Frucht (fruit)

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈaɪ̯ɐˌfʁʊxt/
  • (file)

Noun edit

Eierfrucht f (genitive Eierfrucht, plural Eierfrüchte)

  1. Synonym of Aubergine (eggplant fruit)
    • 1974 April 26, Theo Sommer, “Wüsten-Paradiese aus Plastik”, in Die Zeit[1], number 18:
      Auf zwei Hektar ziehen dort amerikanische Wissenschaftler mit ihren Helfern Tomaten und Gurken, Paprika und Eierfrüchte, alles an doppelmannshohen Spalieren; dazu Gladiolen für die Gemächer einer der Scheichas; Papayas sogar für die Tafel des Scheichs.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes edit

Both starting in the mid-19th century as the denomination of an oriental crop tedious to grow in temperate latitudes, the word Aubergine has largely displaced Eierfrucht in the marketing of the Federal Republic of Germany and Switzerland, while more widely used in the German Democratic Republic, on the former territory of which it is retained spotwise.

Declension edit

Related terms edit

Further reading edit