Etymology Map
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Vegetable

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a plant used as food

Where does the word "vegetable" come from? It comes from Latin vegetabilis, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
vegetabilis
Latin · ancient
"enlivening"
from 'vegere', to enliven, the root of 'vigour'
2
Stage 2 of 3
vegetable
Old French · medieval
"living, growing"
any living plant
3
Stage 3 of 3
vegetable
English · 1400s
"plant"
narrowed to edible plants in the 1700s
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Read the full story

Vegetable’s story begins in Latin: vegetabilis meant “enlivening.” From 'vegere', to enliven, the root of 'vigour'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as vegetable. Any living plant. It reached English by 1400s as vegetable. Narrowed to edible plants in the 1700s. Today, vegetable means a plant used as food.