veg·e·ta·ble

(vĕj′tə-bəl, vĕj′ĭ-tə-)

a. A plant cultivated for its edible parts, such as the roots of the beet, the leaves of spinach, the flower buds of broccoli, or the fruit or seeds of certain species, as beans, corn, and squash.

b. The edible part of such a plant.

c. A member of the vegetable kingdom, especially a green plant.

2. Offensive Slang One who is severely impaired mentally and physically, as by brain injury or disease.

adj.

1. Of, relating to, or derived from plants or a plant: vegetable dyes.

2. Made from or with edible plants or plant parts: vegetable lasagna.

3. Growing or reproducing like a plant.

[From Middle English, living and growing as plants do, from Old French, from Medieval Latin vegetābilis, from Late Latin, enlivening, from Latin vegetāre, to enliven, from vegetus, lively, from vegēre, to be lively; see weg- in Indo-European roots.]

Word History: Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" contains many striking phrases and images, but perhaps most puzzling to modern readers is one in this promise from the speaker to his beloved: "Had we but world enough, and time ... / My vegetable love should grow / Vaster than empires and more slow." One critic has playfully praised Marvell for his ability to make one "think of pumpkins and eternity in one breath," but vegetable in this case is only indirectly related to edible plants. Here the word is used figuratively in the sense "having the property of life and growth, as does a plant," a use based on an ancient religious and philosophical notion of the tripartite soul. As interpreted by the Scholastics, the vegetative soul was common to plants, animals, and humans; the sensitive soul was common to animals and humans; and the rational soul was found only in humans. "Vegetable love" is thus a love that grows, takes nourishment, and reproduces, although slowly. Marvell's use in the 1600s illustrates the original sense of vegetable, first recorded in the 1400s. In the 1500s, the adjectival meaning of vegetable familiar to us, "having to do with plants," begins to appear, along with the first instances of vegetable as a noun meaning "a plant." It is not until the 1700s, however, that we find the noun and adjective used more restrictively to refer specifically to certain kinds of plants that are eaten.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

vegetable

(ˈvɛdʒtəbəl)

1. (Plants) any of various herbaceous plants having parts that are used as food, such as peas, beans, cabbage, potatoes, cauliflower, and onions

2. offensive a person who has lost control of his or her mental faculties, limbs, etc, as from an injury, mental disease, etc

a. a dull inactive person

b. (as modifier): a vegetable life.

4. (Cookery) (modifier) consisting of or made from edible vegetables: a vegetable diet.

5. (Botany) (modifier) of, relating to, characteristic of, derived from, or consisting of plants or plant material: vegetable oils.

6. (Plants) rare any member of the plant kingdom

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

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

veg•e•ta•ble

(ˈvɛdʒ tə bəl, ˈvɛdʒ ɪ tə-)

n.

1. any plant whose fruit, seeds, roots, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves, or flower parts are used as food.

2. any part of a plant that is customarily eaten and is not developed from a flower. Compare fruit (def. 1).

3. any member of the vegetable kingdom.

4. a person who is severely impaired mentally or physically.

5. a dull or spiritless person.

adj.

6. of, consisting of, or made from edible vegetables.

7. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of plants.

8. derived from plants.

9. comprising or containing the substance or remains of plants: vegetable matter.

[1350–1400; < Late Latin vegetābilis able to live and grow, derivative of Latin vegetā(re) to quicken]

veg·e·ta·ble

(vĕj′tə-bəl)

1. A plant that is cultivated for an edible part, such as the leaf of spinach.

2. An edible part of one of these plants. See Note at fruit.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

vegetable

rareripe - Originally simply a fruit or vegetable that ripened early.
fruit, vegetable - Fruit is the name given to those plants that have an ovary used for food; vegetable is the name given to a large category of herbaceous plants with parts used for food.
sauerbraten, sauerkraut - In German, sauerbraten is literally "sour roast meat," and sauerkraut is "sour cabbage or vegetable."
sweet potato, yam - The sweet potatoes and yams sold in most stores are the same vegetable—sweet potatoes are inside every mislabeled yam can; true yams are not sold anywhere except a handful of specialty grocers.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	vegetable - edible seeds or roots or stems or leaves or bulbs or tubers or nonsweet fruits of any of numerous herbaceous plant veg, veggie garden truck, green goods, green groceries, produce - fresh fruits and vegetable grown for the market julienne, julienne vegetable - a vegetable cut into thin strips (usually used as a garnish) rabbit food, raw vegetable - an uncooked vegetable legume - the seedpod of a leguminous plant (such as peas or beans or lentils) potherb - any of various herbaceous plants whose leaves or stems or flowers are cooked and used for food or seasoning greens, leafy vegetable, green - any of various leafy plants or their leaves and stems eaten as vegetables solanaceous vegetable - any of several fruits of plants of the family Solanaceae; especially of the genera Solanum, Capsicum, and Lycopersicon root vegetable - any of various fleshy edible underground roots or tubers pieplant, rhubarb - long pinkish sour leafstalks usually eaten cooked and sweetened cruciferous vegetable - a vegetable of the mustard family: especially mustard greens; various cabbages; broccoli; cauliflower; brussels sprouts squash - edible fruit of a squash plant; eaten as a vegetable cuke, cucumber - cylindrical green fruit with thin green rind and white flesh eaten as a vegetable; related to melons artichoke, globe artichoke - a thistlelike flower head with edible fleshy leaves and heart artichoke heart - the tender fleshy center of the immature artichoke flower asparagus - edible young shoots of the asparagus plant bamboo shoot - edible young shoots of bamboo onion - an aromatic flavorful vegetable leek - related to onions; white cylindrical bulb and flat dark-green leaves cardoon - only parts eaten are roots and especially stalks (blanched and used as celery); related to artichokes celery - stalks eaten raw or cooked or used as seasoning gumbo, okra - long mucilaginous green pods; may be simmered or sauteed but used especially in soups and stews mushroom - fleshy body of any of numerous edible fungi pumpkin - usually large pulpy deep-yellow round fruit of the squash family maturing in late summer or early autumn truffle, earthnut - edible subterranean fungus of the genus Tuber plantain - starchy banana-like fruit; eaten (always cooked) as a staple vegetable throughout the tropics finocchio, Florence fennel, fennel - aromatic bulbous stem base eaten cooked or raw in salads herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests
	2.	vegetable - any of various herbaceous plants cultivated for an edible part such as the fruit or the root of the beet or the leaf of spinach or the seeds of bean plants or the flower buds of broccoli or cauliflower beet, Beta vulgaris, common beet - biennial Eurasian plant usually having a swollen edible root; widely cultivated as a food crop prickly-seeded spinach, spinach, spinach plant, Spinacia oleracea - southwestern Asian plant widely cultivated for its succulent edible dark green leaves artichoke, artichoke plant, Cynara scolymus, globe artichoke - Mediterranean thistlelike plant widely cultivated for its large edible flower head cardoon, Cynara cardunculus - southern European plant having spiny leaves and purple flowers cultivated for its edible leafstalks and roots herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests

vegetable

noun see potatoes

Vegetables

ackee, asparagus, aubergine or (esp. U.S., Canad., and Austral.) eggplant, baby corn, bean sprout, beef tomato, beetroot or beet, bok choy, Chinese leaf, Chinese cabbage, or pak-choi, broad been, broccoli, Brussels sprout or sprout, butternut pumpkin, cabbage, calabrese, calalu or calaloo, cardoon, carrot, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chard, chayote, cherry tomato, chicory, chive, choko, collard, corn on the cob, cos, cos lettuce, or (U.S. & Canad.) romaine, courgette or (U.S., Canad. & Austral.) zucchini, cress, cucumber, endive, fennel, finocchio, frisee, gherkin, globe artichoke, greens, horseradish, iceberg lettuce, Jerusalem artichoke, kale or kail, kohlrabi, lamb's lettuce or corn salad, leek, lettuce, marrow squash, okra, lady's finger, or bhindi, onion, orache, pak-choi, parsnip, pea, pepper, capsicum, or (U.S.) bell pepper, pe-tsai cabbage, pimiento or pimento, potato, radicchio, radish, salsify or oyster plant, savoy cabbage, shallot, silver beet, sorrel, Spanish onion, spinach, spring greens, spring onion, salad onion, scallion (chiefly U.S.), or syboe (Scot.), squash, swede, sweet corn or (chiefly U.S.) corn, sweet potato, batata, or (N.Z.) kumera, turnip or (dialect) neep, vegetable marrow or marrow, yam

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

خُضَارخُضْرَهنَبات

zeleninazeleninovýrostlina

grøntsagplantevegetabilsk

Gemüse Gewächs Pflanze pflanzlich Vegetarier

λαχανικό

vegetal verdura hortaliza legumbre

vihanneskasvi

légume végétal

biljkapovrće

növényzöldségzöldségféle

grænmetijurt, planta

verdura vegetale vegetare vegetariano vegetazione

野菜

채소

daržovėvegetarasvegetariškasvegetarizmasvegetuoti

augsdārzenis

groente plant gewas

grønnsak

warzywo

vegetal verdura hortaliça legume leguminoso

овощ овощной овощи

zeleninový

zaelnjavazelenjava

grönsak

ผัก

sebze bitki

rau củ

蔬菜植物

vegetable

[ˈvedʒɪtəbl]

A. N

1. (Bot) → vegetal m, planta f (Culin) (= food) → hortaliza f, verdura f
we grow a few vegetables in our garden → tenemos plantadas algunas verduras or hortalizas en el jardín
green vegetables → verdura(s) f(pl)
diced vegetables → menestra f de verduras
vegetables are an important part of the diet → la verdura es or las hortalizas son una parte importante de la dieta
come along, eat up your vegetables! → ¡vamos, cómete la verdura!
see also root D

2. (= human vegetable) → vegetal m

B. CPD vegetable dish N (= food) → plato m de verdura(s); (= vessel) → fuente f de verdura(s)
vegetable fat N → grasa f vegetal
vegetable garden N (big) → huerta f; (small) → huerto m
the vegetable kingdom N → el reino vegetal
vegetable marrow N (esp Brit) → calabacín m
vegetable matter N → materia f vegetal
vegetable oil N → aceite m vegetal
vegetable patch N → huerto m, huertecito m
vegetable salad N → ensalada f verde, macedonia f de verduras con mayonesa → ensaladilla f rusa
vegetable soup N → sopa f de verduras

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

vegetable

[ˈvɛdʒtəb^əl]

n (= edible plant) → légume m

modif [kingdom, matter] → végétal(e); [oil, fat] → végétal(e); [curry, stock, dish] → de légumesvegetable fat n → graisse f végétalevegetable garden n → jardin m potager, potager mvegetable patch n → carré m de légumesvegetable soup n → soupe f aux légumes

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

vegetable

→ Gemüse nt; with fresh vegetables → mit frischem Gemüse; (on menu) → mit frischen Gemüsen; what vegetables do you grow in your garden? → welche Gemüsesorten hast du in deinem Garten?; cabbage is a vegetable → Kohl ist eine Gemüsepflanze

(generic term: = plant) → Pflanze f

(fig pej) she’s become a vegetable → sie ist zum körperlichen und geistigen Krüppel geworden, sie vegetiert nur noch dahin

vegetable

vegetable dish

n (= food) → Gemüsegericht nt; (= bowl) → Gemüseschüssel f

vegetable garden

n → Gemüsegarten m

vegetable kingdom

n → Pflanzenreich nt

vegetable knife

n → kleines Küchenmesser

vegetable marrow

n → Gartenkürbis m

vegetable matter

n → pflanzliche Stoffe pl

vegetable oil

n → pflanzliches Öl; (Cook) → Pflanzenöl nt

vegetable salad

n → Gemüsesalat m

vegetable soup

n → Gemüsesuppe f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

vegetable

[ˈvɛdʒ/ɛ7təbl]

1. n

a. → verdura vegetables npl (in restaurant) → contorno msg (di verdure)
would you like some vegetables? → desidera un contorno di verdure? (at home) → vuoi un po' di verdura?

b. (generic term, plant) → vegetale m

2. adj (oil, wax) → vegetale; (soup) → di verdura

vegetable

(ˈvedʒtəbl) noun

1. a plant or part of a plant, other than a fruit, used as food. We grow potatoes, beans and other vegetables; (also adjective) vegetable oils.

2. a plant. Grass is a vegetable, gold is a mineral and a human being is an animal.

ˌvegeˈtarian (vedʒi-) noun

a person who does not eat meat of any kind. Has he always been a vegetarian?; (also adjective) This is a vegetarian dish.

ˌvegeˈtarianism noun

vegetate (ˈvedʒiteit) verb

to live an idle, boring and pointless life. I would like to get a job – I don't want to vegetate.

ˌvegeˈtation (vedʒi-) noun

plants in general; plants of a particular region or type. tropical vegetation.

vegetable

→ خُضَار zelenina grøntsag Gemüse λαχανικό verdura vihannes légume povrće verdura 野菜 채소 groente grønnsak warzywo vegetal овощ grönsak ผัก sebze rau củ 蔬菜

veg·e·ta·ble

n. vegetal.

vegetable

adj vegetal; n vegetal m, verdura, hortaliza; to live as a vegetable (fam)..vivir en estado vegetativo; leafy green — verdura de hoja verde