vegetable

UK:^*^*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈvɛdʒtəb^əl/

US:USA pronunciation: IPAUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈvɛdʒtəbəl, ˈvɛdʒɪtə-/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(vej′tə bəl, vej′i tə-)

veg•e•ta•ble n. [countable]

Botany, Foodany plant whose fruit, seeds, roots, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves, or flower parts are used as food.
Foodany part of a plant that is usually eaten:Eat all the vegetables on your plate.
Informal Termsa person who is severely impaired mentally or physically.

adj.

veg•e•ta•ble n.

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

adj.

of, consisting of, or made from edible vegetables:a vegetable diet.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of plants:the vegetable kingdom.
derived from plants:vegetable fiber; vegetable oils.
Botanyconsisting 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.

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

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

vegetable /ˈvɛdʒtəb^əl/ n

any of various herbaceous plants having parts that are used as food, such as peas, beans, cabbage, potatoes, cauliflower, and onions
offensive a person who has lost control of his or her mental faculties, limbs, etc, as from an injury, disease, etc
- a dull inactive person
- (as modifier): a vegetable life
(modifier) consisting of or made from edible vegetables: a vegetable diet
(modifier) of, relating to, characteristic of, derived from, or consisting of plants or plant material: vegetable oils
rare any member of the plant kingdom

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

'vegetable' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Collocations: vegetable based soup, cooked in vegetable oil, a vegetable [pie, casserole, medley], more...

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