n. pl. to·ma·toes 1. A widely cultivated South American plant
(Lycopersicon esculentum) having edible, fleshy, usually red
fruit. 2. The fruit of this plant. 2. Slang. A woman regarded as
attractive. [Alteration of Spanish tomate, from Nahuatl
tomatl.]to·mato·ey (-t-) adj. Word History: Among the greatest
contributions to world civilization made by the early
inhabitants of the Americas are plant foods such as the potato
and squash. The tomato, whose name comes ultimately from the
Nahuatl language spoken by the Aztecs and other groups in Mexico
and Central America, was another important contribution. When
the Spanish conquered this area, they brought the tomato back to
Spain and, borrowing the Nahuatl word tomatl for it, named it
tomate, a form shared in French, Portuguese, and early Modern
English. Tomate, first recorded in 1604, gave way to tomato, a
form created in English either because it was assumed to be
Spanish or under the influence of the word potato. As is well
known, people at first resisted eating