vegetable

[vej-tuh-buh l, vej-i-tuh-] /ˈvɛdʒ tə bəl, ˈvɛdʒ ɪ tə-/
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 vegetable 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
6.
of, consisting of, or made from edible vegetables:
a vegetable diet.
7.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of plants:
the vegetable kingdom.
8.
derived from plants:
vegetable fiber; vegetable oils.
9.
consisting of, comprising, or containing the substance or remains of plants:
vegetable matter; a vegetable organism.
10.
of the nature of or resembling a plant:
the vegetable forms of Art Nouveau ornament.
11.
inactive; inert; dull; uneventful:
a vegetable existence.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English (adj.) < Late Latin vegetābilis able to live and grow, equivalent to vegetā(re) to quicken (see vegetate) + -bilis -ble
Related forms
nonvegetable, noun, adjective
Examples from the web for vegetable
  • They do little damage to the plant itself, but they make fruit and vegetable unmarketable.
  • The second is in the area of edible oil and vegetable oil.
  • It's one part charades and one part trivia tied together by an offbeat vegetable mascot.
  • Any materials that used to be a plant can go into your compost bin, including all fruit and vegetable scraps.
  • Serve slices of steak with a fresh green salad or favorite summer vegetable.
  • Yeast is a microscopic plant of fungous growth, and is the lowest form of vegetable life.
  • Tomatoes aren't the only vegetable that you can turn into a sauce or condiment.
  • Production agriculture experience and/or college level coursework related to specialty crops, vegetable crops.
  • The state's fruit and vegetable growers are co-operating with officials despite the losses they are likely to incur.
  • Good vegetable oils to use include sunflower, almond, olive and avocado.
British Dictionary definitions for vegetable

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
Word Origin
c14 (adj): from Late Latin vegetābilis animating, from vegetāre to enliven, from Latin vegēre to excite
Word Origin and History for 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.)).

n.

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."

vegetable in Medicine

vegetable veg·e·ta·ble (věj'tə-bəl, věj'ĭ-tə-)
n.

  1. A plant cultivated for an edible part, such as the root of the beet, the leaf of spinach, or the flower buds of broccoli or cauliflower.

  2. The edible part of such a plant.

adj.
Of, relating to, or derived from plants or a plant.
vegetable in Science
vegetable
  (věj'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. See Note at fruit.


Slang definitions & phrases for vegetable

vegetable

noun

A person lacking normal senses, responses, intelligence, etc; basket case, gomer, gork, retard: He was fine the first couple of years of marriage, but then he turned into a vegetable