tomato
noun
How is tomato pronounced?: Usage Guide
The original pronunciation of this Spanish loanword was with stressed \ä\, as was also the case for potato. The older \ä\ pronunciation of potato is found in Robert Burns' poem "Holy Willie's Prayer" and persists in some Scottish dialects. Perhaps because potato has been part of English longer than tomato, its pronunciation has been anglicized in most dialects, with the stressed \ä\ vowel becoming \ā\, like the a in Plato (from Greek) and dado (from Italian). The pronunciation of tomato began the same journey of anglicization but was halted halfway between, so that British and some Eastern American dialects have the older \ä\ while the others have the newer \ā\. Tomato, being the name of a New World plant, might have entered the English language first in the Americas, where it would have had more time to undergo anglicization in American mouths. The various pronunciations of tomato are all acceptable in standard English.
Examples of tomato in a Sentence
Devonne Goode, Parents, 14 Apr. 2025
For instance, if your potatoes and tomatoes are afflicted with black spot, don't plant your rose in the vegetable garden.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2025
Marian acted quickly, and fought off the aggressive alligator with a tomato stake.
—Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Wilburn was a commercial tomato grower for 20 years, later expanding to other crops on the Baja California coast.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tomato
Cite this Entry
“Tomato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tomato. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
derived from Spanish tomate "tomato," from the name for this plant in the ancient language of the Aztecs
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