Etymology Dictionary

VEGETABLE,  a plant for the table.  (F.,—L.)   Properly an adj., as used by Milton, P. L. iv. 220.   [Instead of vegetables, Shak. has vegetives, Pericles, iii. 2. 36; and ben Jonson has vegetals, Alchemist, i. 1. 40.]—F. vegetable, 'vegetable, fit or able to live;' Cot.—Lat. uegetabilis, animating; hence, full of life.   Formed, with suffix -bilis, from Lat. uegeta-re, to enliven, quicken.—Lat. uegetus, lively.—Lat. uegere, to excite, quicken, arouse; allied to uig-il, wakeful, and uig-ere, to flourish.—✔WAG, to be strong and lively (Fick, i. 762); whence Skt. ugra, very strong, Gk. ὑγιής, sound, Goth. wakan, to wake.   See Vigil, Vigorous (Vigour), and Wake.   Der. (from uegetare) veget-ate; veget-at-ion, from F. vegetation, 'a giving of life,' Cot.; veget-at-ive (Palsgrave), from F. vegetatif, 'vegetative, lively,' Cot.; veget-al (as above), from F. vegetal, 'vegetall,' Cot.; veget-ar-i-an, a modern coined word, to denote a vegetable-arian, or one who lives on vegetables; veget-ar-i-an-ism.