vegetable

[ vej-tuh-buhl, vej-i-tuh- ]

noun

1. any plant whose fruit, seeds, roots, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves, or flower parts are used as food, as the tomato, bean, beet, potato, onion, asparagus, spinach, or cauliflower.
2. the edible part of such a plant, as the tuber of the potato.
3. any member of the plant kingdom; plant.
4. Informal. a person who is so severely impaired mentally or physically as to be largely incapable of conscious responses or activity.
5. a dull, spiritless, and uninteresting person.

adjective

1. of, consisting of, or made from edible vegetables:

   a vegetable diet.

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of plants:

   the vegetable kingdom.

3. derived from plants:

   vegetable fiber; vegetable oils.

4. consisting of, comprising, or containing the substance or remains of plants:

   vegetable matter; a vegetable organism.

5. of the nature of or resembling a plant:

   the vegetable forms of Art Nouveau ornament.

6. inactive; inert; dull; uneventful:

   a vegetable existence.

vegetable

/ ˈvɛdʒtəbəl /

noun

1. any of various herbaceous plants having parts that are used as food, such as peas, beans, cabbage, potatoes, cauliflower, and onions
2. informal.
   a person who has lost control of his mental faculties, limbs, etc, as from an injury, mental disease, etc
3. 1. a dull inactive person
   2. ( as modifier )

      a vegetable life

4. modifier consisting of or made from edible vegetables

   a vegetable diet

5. modifier of, relating to, characteristic of, derived from, or consisting of plants or plant material

   vegetable oils

6. rare.
   any member of the plant kingdom

vegetable

/ vĕj′tə-bəl /

1. A plant that is cultivated for an edible part, such as the leaf of spinach, the root of the carrot, or the stem of celery.
2. An edible part of one of these plants.
3. See Note at fruit

Other Words From

• non·vege·ta·ble noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vegetable¹

1350–1400; Middle English (adjective) < Late Latin vegetābilis “able to live and grow,” equivalent to vegetā(re) “to quicken” ( vegetate ) + -bilis -ble

Word History and Origins

Origin of vegetable¹

c14 (adj): from Late Latin vegetābilis animating, from vegetāre to enliven, from Latin vegēre to excite

Example Sentences

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, high-sided cast iron skillet.

From The Daily Beast

The stewed cabbage is insanely tender, vegetable-sweet, and more luxurious than cabbage has a right to be.

From The Daily Beast

Traffic was terrible, though, so only a few dozen people gamely remained to pick over the vegetable spread and drink beer.

From The Daily Beast

Poking through this crunchy-sweet vegetable mound is edible ecstasy.

From The Daily Beast

The truth is that diet should be varied and no single vegetable produces “miracle” results.

From The Daily Beast

Grain merchants and vegetable dealers jostled each other in the streets themselves.

From Project Gutenberg

Clodd tells us that one cubic inch of rotten stone contains 41 thousand million vegetable skeletons of diatoms.

From Project Gutenberg

Even slight familiarity with the microscopic structure of vegetable tissue will prevent the chagrin of such errors.

From Project Gutenberg

It is likewise formed daring the decay of animal and vegetable matters, and is consequently evolved from dung and compost heaps.

From Project Gutenberg

It is produced abundantly when vegetable matters are burnt, as also during respiration, fermentation, and many other processes.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• herb
• legume
• produce
• salad