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vegetable
/ˈvɛdʒ.tə.bəl/
plant eaten as food
Carrots and broccoli are common vegetables.
Example of edible plants used in meals
neutral
A plant or part of a plant used as food, typically as part of a meal.
She grows vegetables in her backyard garden.
Example of cultivating edible plants
The soup contains a mix of fresh vegetables.
Example of vegetables used in cooking
Includes roots, stems, leaves, fruits, and seeds, but excludes herbs, spices, and cereals.
informal
A person who lacks physical or mental energy; a dull or inactive person.
After the long meeting, he felt like a vegetable.
Example of describing someone as inactive
Derived from the idea of a plant that does not move or respond.
Collocations
fresh vegetablesrecently harvested or unprocessed plant foodsleafy vegetablesplants with edible leaves like spinach or lettucefrozen vegetablesvegetables preserved by freezing
Synonyms
Pro Tip
Common Mistake: Tomatoes are fruits
In cooking, tomatoes are often treated as vegetables, but botanically they are fruits. This distinction is important in dietary contexts.
Gold Rule
Vegetable vs. Fruit
A vegetable is any edible part of a plant (root, stem, leaf, flower, or seed) that is not sweet. Fruits develop from flowers and contain seeds.
Word Origin
From Middle English <i>vegetable</i> ("vegetative"), from Old French <i>végétable</i> ("that which grows"), from Medieval Latin <i>vegetabilis</i> ("growing, flourishing"), from Latin <i>vegetare</i> ("to animate, quicken"), from <i>vegetus</i> ("lively, vigorous"). The sense of "plant used for food" emerged in the 18th century.
Usage Notes
Vegetables are a key component of a balanced diet. They can be eaten raw, cooked, or processed. The term excludes fruits (e.g., tomatoes, cucumbers) in culinary contexts but includes them botanically.
Word Breakdown
veget
to grow or be alive
root-able
capable of being
suffixEnglish Dictionary