vegetable

vegetable

I. vege‧ta‧ble¹ S3 W3 /ˈvedʒtəbəl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Medieval Latin; Origin: vegetabilis 'growing', from vegetare 'to grow', from Latin vegere 'to cause to act, excite']
1. a plant that is eaten raw or cooked, such as a ↑cabbage, a ↑carrot, or ↑peas:
fresh fruit and vegetables
organic methods of growing vegetables
vegetable soup
a neat vegetable garden
Vitamin A is found in liver and green vegetables.
salad vegetables (=vegetables such as ↑lettuce or ↑tomatoes eaten raw)
GRAMMAR
Vegetable is a countable noun, not an uncountable noun:
▪ They grew their own vegetables (NOT their own vegetable).
2. not polite an offensive word for someone who is alive but who cannot talk or move because their brain is damaged
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + vegetable
▪ fresh Fresh vegetables taste best immediately after they've been picked.
▪ raw Some vegetables are better eaten raw.
▪ organic (=grown without using chemicals) Most supermarkets sell organic fruit and vegetables.
▪ tinned/canned Do canned vegetables have as many vitamins as fresh ones?
▪ frozen packets of frozen vegetables
▪ green vegetables Eat plenty of green vegetables.
▪ leafy vegetables Leafy vegetables contain iron, which is good for the blood.
▪ root vegetables (=vegetables whose roots you eat, such as carrots) Excellent soups can be made from root vegetables.
▪ a salad vegetable (=a vegetable that is eaten raw in a salad) You can buy ready-prepared salad vegetables.
▪ baby vegetables (=vegetables that have not grown to their full size) Baby vegetables, especially carrots and corn, appeal to youngsters.
■ vegetable + NOUN
▪ vegetable soup I think I'll have the vegetable soup.
▪ vegetable stock (=a liquid in which vegetables have been cooked) Gently cook the mushrooms and onions in the vegetable stock.
▪ vegetable oil She uses vegetable oil instead of lard.
▪ a vegetable garden/patch/plot Anna was digging in the vegetable garden.
■ verbs
▪ grow vegetables If we had a garden, we could grow our own vegetables.