vegetable

[ vej-tuh-buh l, vej-i-tuh- ]

/ ˈvɛdʒ tə bəl, ˈvɛdʒ ɪ tə- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vegetable ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

the edible part of such a plant, as the tuber of the potato.

any member of the vegetable kingdom; plant.

Informal. a person who is so severely impaired mentally or physically as to be largely incapable of conscious responses or activity.

a dull, spiritless, and uninteresting person.

adjective

of, consisting of, or made from edible vegetables: a vegetable diet.

of, relating to, or characteristic of plants: the vegetable kingdom.

derived from plants: vegetable fiber; vegetable oils.

consisting of, comprising, or containing the substance or remains of plants: vegetable matter; a vegetable organism.

of the nature of or resembling a plant: the vegetable forms of Art Nouveau ornament.

inactive; inert; dull; uneventful: a vegetable existence.

Nearby words

Origin of vegetable

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

Related formsnon·veg·e·ta·ble, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vegetable

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, high-sided cast iron skillet.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole|Carla Hall|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Traffic was terrible, though, so only a few dozen people gamely remained to pick over the vegetable spread and drink beer.
How the Left Cut Down a Democratic Frontrunner|David Freedlander|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“My brain injuries were so severe they thought I was going to be a vegetable for the rest of my life,” he says.
From G.I. to Eye Candy: War Vet Alex Minsky’s Model Turn|Itay Hod|March 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"He poured out everything Gregory gave him after that, the vegetable juices, every elixir," Harold says.
The Stacks: Harold Conrad Was Many Things, But He Was Never, Ever Dull|Mark Jacobson|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Fried fats, hydrogenated fats, and vegetable oils are going to lead to more cravings and less satisfaction.
Five Ways to Recover Faster From Your Thanksgiving Binge|Dave Asprey|November 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the dark country I had expected to find little if any vegetable growth.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science January 1931|Various
It is a strong agent in the decomposition of vegetable matter, and is thus of much importance in preparing manures.
The Elements of Agriculture|George E. Waring
It has been aptly termed the "princess of the vegetable world."
Equatorial America|Maturin M. Ballou
The soil is sandy silt with a considerable admixture of vegetable matter.
The Bontoc Igorot|Albert Ernest Jenks
There will be a garden and flowerbeds, and a vegetable garden.
Letters of Anton Chekhov|Anton Chekhov

British Dictionary definitions for vegetable

vegetable

/ (ˈvɛdʒtəbəl) /

noun

any of various herbaceous plants having parts that are used as food, such as peas, beans, cabbage, potatoes, cauliflower, and onions

informal a person who has lost control of his mental faculties, limbs, etc, as from an injury, mental disease, etc

a dull inactive person
(as modifier)a vegetable life

(modifier) consisting of or made from edible vegetablesa vegetable diet

(modifier) of, relating to, characteristic of, derived from, or consisting of plants or plant materialvegetable oils

rare any member of the plant kingdom

Word Origin for vegetable

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for vegetable

vegetable

adj.

c.1400, "living and growing as a plant," from Old French vegetable "living, fit to live," from Medieval Latin vegetabilis "growing, flourishing," from Late Latin vegetabilis "animating, enlivening," from Latin vegetare "to enliven," from vegetus "vigorous, active," from vegere "to be alive, active, to quicken," from PIE *weg- "be strong, lively," related to watch (v.), vigor, velocity, and possibly witch (see vigil). The meaning "resembling that of a vegetable, dull, uneventful" is attested from 1854 (see vegetable (n.)).

vegetable

mid-15c., originally any plant, from vegetable (adj.); specific sense of "plant cultivated for food, edible herb or root" is first recorded 1767. Meaning "person who leads a monotonous life" is recorded from 1921.

Slang shortening veggie first recorded 1955. The Old English word was wyrt (see wort). The commonest source of words for vegetables in Indo-European languages are derivatives of words for "green" or "growing" (cf. Italian, Spanish verdura, Irish glasraidh, Danish grøntsager). For a different association, cf. Greek lakhana, related to lakhaino "to dig."