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

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 Word Forms

• nonvegetable noun

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

Boiling vegetables sounds so old-fashioned and boring and bad.

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Colors derived from plants, vegetables or other natural products behave differently than artificial ones, and are more sensitive to factors like light and temperature.

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Gabriel said he worked with the food and beverage industries to exempt certain items that made sense, such as minimally processed prepared foods, which include canned fruit and vegetables.

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And she remembered her father telling her about going to Gaza to eat falafel — “It used to have the best falafel, he always said” — and buying produce in its vegetable markets.

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Food that is past its expiry date is sometimes served, she told us, and meals often lack fruit and vegetables, and contain mainly heavy carbohydrates such as bread, chips and rice.

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Related Words

• herb 
• legume 
• produce 
• salad