vegetation

[ vej-i-tey-shuhn ]

/ ˌvɛdʒ ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vegetation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

all the plants or plant life of a place, taken as a whole: the vegetation of the Nile valley.

the act or process of vegetating.

a dull existence; life devoid of mental or social activity.

Pathology. a morbid growth, or excrescence.

Nearby words

Origin of vegetation

1555–65; < Medieval Latin vegetātiōn- (stem of vegetātiō), equivalent to vegetāt- (see vegetate) + -iōn- -ion

SYNONYMS FOR vegetation

3. inactivity, idleness, sloth, lethargy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vegetation ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

veg·e·ta·tion·al, adjectiveveg·e·ta·tion·less, adjectivenon·veg·e·ta·tion, nounpre·veg·e·ta·tion, noun

un·der·veg·e·ta·tion, noun

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

Examples from the Web for vegetation

The path for our group of six is being carved through tangles of vines and vegetation one machete hack at a time.
Can Gorillas Save the Democratic Republic of the Congo?|Nina Strochlic|April 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Vegetation, large trees, and a series of small farm buildings were cleared, and massive holes were dug for the foundations.
Teaching ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Chengdu, China|Matt Lombardi|May 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If you lose the marshes and the vegetation, all you're left with is mud, which just slides into the water.
Will the Spill Impact Public Health?|Sara Karl|May 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The vegetation of Cuba is of the most luxuriant and beautiful description.
Cuba|Arthur D. Hall

They were walking upon a sandy soil, mingled with stones, which appeared destitute of any sort of vegetation.
The Mysterious Island|Jules Verne
The valley appears broad and hilly, and the vegetation assumes the aspect of the Hot Country.
Unknown Mexico, Volume 1 (of 2)|Carl Lumholtz
The Ferns composed a great part of the vegetation of the Coal-measure period.
The World Before the Deluge|Louis Figuier
We simply fell over the cliff, plunging, caroming, and ricocheting down through the masses of vegetation.
In Africa|John T. McCutcheon

British Dictionary definitions for vegetation

vegetation

/ (ˌvɛdʒɪˈteɪʃən) /

noun

plant life as a whole, esp the plant life of a particular region

the process of vegetating

pathol any abnormal growth, excrescence, etc

a vegetative existence

Derived Formsvegetational, adjectivevegetatious, adjective

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 vegetation

vegetation

1560s, "act of vegetating," from Middle French végétation, from Medieval Latin vegetationem (nominative vegetatio) "a quickening, action of growing," from vegetare "grow, quicken" (see vegetable). Meaning "plant life" first recorded 1727.

Medicine definitions for vegetation

vegetation

[ vĕj′ĭ-tā′shən ]

n.

The process of growth in plants.

An abnormal bodily growth or excrescence, especially a clot composed largely of fused blood platelets, fibrin, and sometimes bacteria that is adherent to a diseased heart valve.

A vegetative state of impaired consciousness.

Science definitions for vegetation

vegetation

[ vĕj′ĭ-tā′shən ]

The plants of an area or a region; plant life.

An abnormal bodily accretion, especially a clot composed largely of fused blood platelets, fibrin, and sometimes bacteria, that adheres to a diseased heart valve.