Vegetables are plants such as cabbages, potatoes, and onions which you can cook and eat.
A good general diet should include plenty of fresh vegetables.
...traditional Caribbean fruit and vegetables.
...vegetable soup.
2. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Vegetable matter comes from plants.
[formal]
...compounds, of animal, vegetable or mineral origin.
...decayed vegetable matter.
3. countable noun [usually singular]
If someone refers to a brain-damaged person as a vegetable, they mean that the person cannot move, think, or speak.
[informal, offensive]
vegetable in British English
(ˈvɛdʒtəbəl)
noun
1.
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, disease, etc
3.
a.
a dull inactive person
b.
(as modifier)
a vegetable life
4. (modifier)
consisting of or made from edible vegetables
a vegetable diet
5. (modifier)
of, relating to, characteristic of, derived from, or consisting of plants or plant material
vegetable oils
6. rare
any member of the plant kingdom
Word origin
c14 (adj): from Late Latin vegetābilis animating, from vegetāre to enliven, from Latin vegēre to excite
vegetable in American English
(ˈvɛdʒtəbəl; ˈvɛdʒətəbəl)
adjective
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 vegetables
noun
3.
broadly, any plant, as distinguished from animal or inorganic matter
4.
a.
any herbaceous plant that is eaten whole or in part, raw or cooked
b.
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)
5.
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.
Word origin
ME < ML vegetabilis, vegetative, capable of growth < LL, animating, enlivening < L vegetare: see vegetate
They had a farm back home where they grew fruit and vegetables.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Roast for ½ hour or until the vegetables are almost cooked.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
He changed his diet, eating lots of fresh fish and vegetables and cutting carbs and sugar.
The Sun (2017)
Stir the meat into the vegetables, stirring until browned.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
FULL of healthy vegetables, soups are a delicious way to boost your goodness intake.
The Sun (2017)
Science has made it clear that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is good for you.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The prices of meat and vegetables were at record highs.
Lucy Moore Liberty: The Lives and Times of Six Women in Revolutionary France (2006)
If there is a choice between using fresh vegetables and canned foods always choose the former.
Lashford, Stephanie The Residue Report - an action plan for safer food (1988)
Yet almost half were eating just two servings of fruit or vegetables a day or less.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Most of all make fresh fruit and vegetables a substantial part of your diet.
Holford, Patrick The Family Nutrition Workbook (1988)
Almost all say that they try to eat fruit and vegetables.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Remove the meat and vegetables from the pan and serve together.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Try to eat at least one piece of fruit a day and get a good variety of vegetables.
Wallace, Louise M & Bundy, Christine Coping with Angina (1990)
Drizzle the lamb and vegetables with 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Word lists with
vegetable
Edible oils
In other languages
vegetable
British English: vegetable /ˈvɛdʒtəbl/ NOUN
Vegetables are edible plants such as cabbages, potatoes, and onions.
American English: vegetable
Arabic: خُضَار
Brazilian Portuguese: vegetal
Chinese: 蔬菜
Croatian: povrće
Czech: zelenina
Danish: grøntsag
Dutch: groente
European Spanish: verdura
Finnish: vihannes
French: légume
German: Gemüse
Greek: λαχανικό
Italian: verdura
Japanese: 野菜
Korean: 채소
Norwegian: grønnsak
Polish: warzywo
European Portuguese: vegetal
Romanian: legumă
Russian: овощ
Latin American Spanish: verdura
Swedish: grönsak
Thai: ผัก
Turkish: sebze
Ukrainian: овоч
Vietnamese: rau củ
British English: vegetable ADJECTIVE
Vegetable matter comes from plants.
...compounds, of animal, vegetable, or mineral origin.
American English: vegetable
Brazilian Portuguese: vegetal
Chinese: 植物的
European Spanish: vegetal
French: végétal
German: pflanzlich
Italian: vegetale
Japanese: 植物の
Korean: 식물의
European Portuguese: vegetal
Latin American Spanish: vegetal
All related terms of 'vegetable'
sea vegetable
an edible seaweed
vegetable fat
fat obtained or produced from vegetables
vegetable oil
any of a group of oils that are esters of fatty acids and glycerol and are obtained from plants
vegetable wax
any of various waxes that occur on parts of certain plants, esp the trunks of certain palms , and prevent loss of water from the plant
green vegetable
a vegetable having green edible parts, as lettuce or broccoli
root vegetable
a vegetable , such as a turnip or beet , cultivated for the food value of its roots
vegetable dish
a dish designed to serve vegetables from
vegetable ivory
the hard whitish material obtained from the endosperm of the ivory nut : used to make buttons , ornaments , etc
vegetable knife
a knife designed to cut up vegetables
vegetable patch
part of a garden used for growing vegetables
vegetable plot
A plot of land is a small piece of land, especially one that has been measured or marked out for a special purpose, such as building houses or growing vegetables.
vegetable salad
any salad consisting of vegetables, such as cabbage , carrots , beans , etc, not usually included in a green salad
vegetable sheep
any of various species of the genus Raoulia , esp R . mammillaris or R. eximia, of New Zealand rocky mountains: a small low bush having white flowers and hairy leaves which, from a distance , make it look like a sheep
vegetable silk
any of various silky fibres obtained from the seed pods of certain plants
vegetable soup
a soup made from or containing vegetables
vegetable butter
any of a group of vegetable fats having the consistency of butter
vegetable garden
a garden , or part of a garden, in which vegetables are grown
vegetable kingdom
a category of living organisms comprising all plants but excluding the algae, fungi , and bacteria
vegetable knives
a knife designed to cut up vegetables
vegetable marrow
a cucurbitaceous plant, Cucurbita pepo , probably native to America but widely cultivated for its oblong green striped fruit, which is eaten as a vegetable
vegetable oyster
→ salsify
vegetable slicer
a device with a sharp blade for slicing vegetables finely ;
vegetable sponge
→ luffa (sense 2 )
vegetable tallow
any of various types of tallow that are obtained from plants
hydrogenated vegetable oil
a vegetable oil that has undergone hydrogenation
hydrolysed vegetable protein
a powder or liquid that is produced by boiling legumes or cereals in hydrochloric acid and then neutralizing with sodium hydroxide . It is used as a flavouring in some foods, such as soups and bouillon cubes
textured vegetable protein
a protein obtained from soya beans or other vegetables that have been spun into fibres and flavoured : used esp as a substitute for meat
salsifies
a Mediterranean plant, Tragopogon porrifolius, having grasslike leaves, purple flower heads, and a long white edible taproot : family Asteraceae ( composites )
salsify
a Mediterranean plant, Tragopogon porrifolius, having grasslike leaves, purple flower heads, and a long white edible taproot : family Asteraceae ( composites )