🇺🇸
/ˈoʊ.bɝː.dʒ/
🇺🇸
/ˈoʊ.bɝː.dʒ/
🇬🇧
/ˈoʊ.bɝː.dʒ/
🇬🇧
/ˈoʊ.bɝː.dʒ/
Plural
auberges
An auberge is a cozy, often historic or countryside inn—typically family-owned and full of local charm—where travelers enjoy simple lodging and hearty home-cooked meals; in British English, it's also a fancy word for 'eggplant', thanks to a quirky linguistic detour through French botany.
We spent three nights at a charming auberge nestled in the French Alps, where the owner served us wine from his own vineyard.
The menu at the Provence auberge featured seasonal dishes made with herbs from their garden.
In the UK, recipes often call for aubergine—but in France, that same purple vegetable grows right outside the auberge's kitchen door.
Many hikers along the Camino de Santiago rely on traditional auberges for affordable beds and warm soup.
She opened her own auberge after retiring from teaching, turning her 17th-century farmhouse into a beloved stop for cyclists and food lovers.
auberge
Comes from Old French 'auberge', itself derived from Germanic *heriberga ('army shelter'), from Proto-Germanic *harjaz ('army') + *bergan ('to protect, shelter'). The word evolved to mean 'a place of shelter for travelers'. Examples include auberge, aubergiste (innkeeper), aubergine (via French → English semantic shift to 'eggplant').