text: Etymology The word tomato comes from the Spanish , which in turn comes from the Nahuatl word   , meaning "swelling fruit". The specific name lycopersicum, meaning "wolf peach", originated with Galen, who used it to denote a plant that has not been identified. Luigi Anguillara speculated in the 16th century that Galen's lycopersicum might be the tomato, and despite the impossibility of this identification, lyocpersicum entered scientific use as a name for the fruit.
  Pronunciation
  The usual pronunciations of tomato are   (usual in North American English) and   (usual in British English). The word's dual pronunciations were immortalized in Ira and George Gershwin's 1937 song "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" ("You like  and I like  / You like  and I like ") and have become a symbol for nitpicking pronunciation disputes. In this capacity, it has even become an American and British slang term: saying "" when presented with two choices can mean "What's the difference?" or "It's all the same to me".
  Botany
  Description
  Tomato plants are vines, initially decumbent, typically growing  or more above the ground if supported, although erect bush varieties have been bred, generally  tall or shorter. Indeterminate types are "tender" perennials, dying annually in temperate climates (they are originally native to tropical highlands), although they can live up to three years in a greenhouse in some cases. Determinate types are annual in all climates.