- vegetable
- vegetable [vej′tə bəl, vej′ə təbəl]adj.[ME < ML vegetabilis, vegetative, capable of growth < LL, animating, enlivening < L vegetare: see VEGETATE]1. of, or having the nature of, plants in general [the vegetable kingdom]2. of, having the nature of, made from, consisting of, or produced by edible vegetablesn.[< ML vegetabilia (pl.), growing things, vegetables]1. broadly, any plant, as distinguished from animal or inorganic matter2.a) any herbaceous plant that is eaten whole or in part, raw or cookedb) the edible part of such a plant, as the root (e.g., a carrot), tuber (a potato), seed (a pea), fruit (a tomato), stem (celery), or leaf (lettuce)3. a person thought of as like a vegetable, as because of leading a dull, unthinking existence or because of having lost consciousness, the use of the mind, etc.
English World dictionary. V. Neufeldt. 2014.