[veg.e.ta.ble] adj [ME, fr. ML vegetabilis vegetative, fr. vegetare to grow, fr. L, to animate, fr. vegetus lively, fr. vegere to enliven--more at wake] (15c) 1 a: of, relating to, constituting, or growing like plants b: consisting of plants: vegetational
2: made or obtained from plants or plant products
3: resembling or suggesting a plant (as in inertness or passivity)
[2]vegetable n (1582) 1: plant 1b
2: a usu. herbaceous plant (as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part that is usu. eaten as part of a meal; also: such edible part
3: a human being whose mental and physical functioning is severely impaired (as from accident or disease)