: a person having a dull or merely physical existence
b
informal + sometimes offensive: a person whose mental and physical functioning is severely impaired and especially one who requires supportive measures (such as mechanical ventilation) to survive
: made from, obtained from, or containing plants or plant products
vegetable soup
vegetable fat
3
: resembling or suggesting a plant (as in inertness or passivity)
Example Sentences
Noun The doctor said I should eat more fruits and vegetables. a bowl of vegetable soup The accident had left him a vegetable.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Portraits of the governor and his wife posing with prize-winning vegetables (both are keen gardeners) decorate the walls of the family home in Ngabang, a town in the hills four hours’ drive from Pontianak, the provincial capital.The Economist, 20 July 2017 This summer, at the South Windsor Farmers Market, SoWin/EatsHealthy will be offering discounted boxes of fresh vegetables from local farmers.Courant Community, 17 July 2017 The Saturday Muldoon Farmers Market will have baklava, baked goods, rhubarb, crafts and loads of vegetables, including salad mixes, tomatoes, radishes, greens, zucchini, bok choy and herbs. Steve Edwards, Alaska Dispatch News, 12 July 2017 Like going to the bathroom, or, conversely, being able to eat: Human waste will be treated through a bio-fermentation process, and experimental crops and vegetables will be grown with the help of food and waste byproducts. Rachel Jacoby Zoldan, Teen Vogue, 11 July 2017 In rats with diabetes, the compound, which occurs naturally in cruciferous vegetables, had the intended effect, reversing the genetic signature in the animals’ livers. Jessica Wapner, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2017 Her family still has a small vegetable garden and a hillside plot filled with a few dozen white tea plants, but most of their crops have been replaced with cedar trees and a scattering of bamboo. Michael Holtz, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 June 2017 That’s no surprise, perhaps, given the organic revolution and the proximity to the state’s absurdly fertile Central Valley, which produces half of the country’s fruits and vegetables. Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, 20 June 2017 The vendors sprawled across several streets with fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and coffee. Amanda Shine, Harper's BAZAAR, 15 June 2017
Adjective
For Bata, siblings and co-owners Tyler, Courtney and Zach Fenton have created a restaurant that's both vegetable forward and features live fire cooking similar to a Japanese robata grill. Andi Berlin, The Arizona Republic, 10 Sep. 2022 Dinner is usually vegetable-forward dishes with lentils, rice, and kid-friendly noshes like corn and broccoli. Taylyn Washington-harmon, Men's Health, 31 Aug. 2022 The strikes have been hitting homes seemingly at random in the city’s outlying district, punching craters in vegetable gardens, starting fires and blowing out windows.New York Times, 1 Aug. 2022 The formula kills the root of the sprouting seed, so this product can also be used around existing plants in vegetable gardens and flower beds. Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 July 2022 The light setting is the perfect brightness for vegetable seedlings. Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 8 Aug. 2022 This Chinese dish combines boneless pork shoulder, a vegetable medley, and pineapple chunks with soy sauce, dark brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar for a delicious crockpot dinner ready in under three hours. Courtney Campbell And Elizabeth Berry, Woman's Day, 24 June 2022 Customers can expect more vegetable-heavy options and a full-scale bar that includes beer, wine and cocktails. Elgin Nelson, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 July 2022 Like the summer succotash of the American South or the ratatouille of France, vignarola is a vegetable stew that, in its ideal form, is radiant with freshness. Bee Wilson, WSJ, 14 May 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin vegetābilia, plural noun derivative of vegetābilisvegetable entry 2
Adjective
Middle English, "capable of growth, of or like plants (able to grow but lacking motion or sensation)," borrowed from Medieval Latin vegetābilis, going back to Late Latin, "vivifying, refreshing," from vegetāre "to live, grow" + Latin -bilis "capable of (acting or being acted upon)" — more at vegetate, -able