vegetation

[vej-i-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. all the plants or plant life of a place, taken as a whole.

   the vegetation of the Nile valley.

2. the act or process of vegetating.

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

   Synonyms: lethargy, sloth, idleness, inactivity

4. Pathology.,  a morbid growth, or excrescence.

vegetation

/ ˌvɛdʒɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

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

2. the process of vegetating

3. pathol any abnormal growth, excrescence, etc

4. a vegetative existence

vegetation

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

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

Other Word Forms

• vegetatious adjective
• vegetational adjective
• vegetationless adjective
• nonvegetation noun
• prevegetation noun
• undervegetation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vegetation¹

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

Example Sentences

According to the researchers, the characteristics of the fossils indicate that the amber originated in a warm, humid forest filled with dense vegetation and resin-producing trees in southern Gondwana.

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For years, scientists have warned that the risk of damaging floods is dramatically increased after intense wildfires, as rain struggles to permeate the burnt-out forest floor and flows encounter little resistance from the remaining vegetation.

Read more on Barron's

The blaze, which firefighters had said was contained hours later, smoldered underground in dense vegetation for days until powerful winds on Jan. 7 caused it to spread, authorities said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

His mission: find and eliminate brushtail possums, an intruder that eats baby birds and strips vegetation from native trees.

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He admitted some of the new trees were water “addicts,” but said the estate would wait several years before planting any further vegetation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• flora 
• greenery