Also 6 vegitable. [f. the adj.]
1. A living organism belonging to the vegetable kingdom or the lower of the two series of organic beings; a growth devoid of animal life; a plant in the widest or scientific sense (= PLANT sb.1 2).
1582. J. Hester, Compendium Ration. Secr. (title-p.), The Hidden Vertues of sondrie Vegitables, Animalles, and Mineralls.
1598. R. Haydocke, trans. Lomazzo, II. 125. Some of them are taken from minerals…, some from the vegetables, and some from the animals.
1653. W. Ramesey, Astrol. Restored, 12. I suppose there is none will … deny … the Heavens and Planets to have influence over Herbs, Corn, Plants, and all Vegetables.
1690. Locke, Hum. Und., IV. vi. (1695), 337. In Vegetables, which are nourished, grow, and produce Leaves, Flowers, and Seeds, in a constant Succession.
1737. Gray, Lett., Poems (1775), 24. Both vale and hill are covered with most venerable beeches, and other very reverend vegetables.
1782. V. Knox, Ess., clii. (1819), III. 169. They [i.e., speeches] are like vegetables of a night, or insects of a day.
1805. R. W. Dickson, Pract. Agric., I. 387. After the rushes or other coarse vegetables have been cut down and carried away.
1822–7. Good, Study Med. (1829), I. 265. The expressed oils of mild vegetables, as the pistachio, olive, and almond.
1858. O. W. Holmes, Aut. Breakf.-t. (1883), 205. Both [trees] are pleasant vegetables.
1884. De Candolle’s Orig. Cultivated Pl., 4. The Tetragonia, an insignificant green vegetable.
fig. a. 1635. Naunton, Fragm. Reg. (Arb.), 44. He was a meer vegetable of the Court, that sprung up at night, and sunk again at his noon.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 86, ¶ 3. I met him with all the respect due to so reverend a vegetable; for you are to know, that is my sense of a person who remains idle in the same place for half a century.
† b. pl. in collective sense: Vegetation. Obs.
c. 1645. Howell, Lett. (1650), II. 43. I have bin alwaies naturally affected to woods and groves, and those kind of vegetables.
1695. Woodward, Nat. Hist. Earth, VI. (1723), 295. June, July, and August … exhibit a still different Shew of Vegetables, and Face of Things.
1780. A. Young, Tour Irel., I. 18. Their only way is to let it cover itself with such vegetables as may come.
1821. Scott, Pirate, xxv. Scrubby and stunted heath, intermixed with the long bent, or coarse grass,… were the only vegetables that could be seen.
† c. Applied to the earth or to a mineral regarded as capable of growth. Obs. rare.
a. 1676. Hale, Prim. Orig. Man., I. iii. (1677), 96. Though the Earth be not animated with a Sensible Soul, yet it is possible that it may be a great Immortal Vegetable.
1716. Cheyne, Philos. Princ. Nat. Relig., I. 278. A hill is nothing but the Nest of some Mettle or Mineral, either of Stone, Iron, Tin, Copper or such like lower Vegetables.
2. A plant cultivated for food; esp. an edible herb or root used for human consumption and commonly eaten, either cooked or raw, with meat or other article of food.
1767. A. Young, Farmer’s Lett. to People (1771), I. 461. The cultivation of the new-discovered vegetables, and all the modes of raising the old ones.
1796. Mrs. Inchbald, Nature & Art, xlvi. (1820), 158. At a stinted repast of milk and vegetables.
1840. Loudon, Cottager’s Man., 4, in Husb. III. (L.U.K.). To supply the cottager’s family … with vegetables, potatoes, and faggots.
1846. Soyer, Cookery, 450. Where a dish of vegetables are required for second course.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), III. 243. Cabbages or any other vegetables which are fit for boiling.
3. attrib. and Comb. a. Simple attrib. in sense 2, as vegetable-basin, dish, food, garden, -market, etc.
1728. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Vegetation, The common Opinion … is, that Water is the great vegetable Food.
1825. T. Hook, Sayings, Ser. II. III. 15. Two vegetable dishes.
1853. Hickie, Aristoph. (Bohn), II. 416. In the pottery-market and the vegetable-market alike.
a. 1860. Alb. Smith, Med. Student (1861), 17. Threading their way through the crowd of the vegetable-waggons arriving for to-morrow’s market.
1898. F. G. Lee, Negl. Bapt., 11. A vegetable-basin or a soap-dish was used instead of the font.
1898. Cent. Mag., Jan., 337/1. May I tell him … about your vegetable garden?
b. Objective or obj. genitive, as vegetable-eater, -feeder, -seller; vegetable-eating, -feeding adjs.
Also with the names of instruments, as vegetable-chopper, -cutter, -grater, -slicer, etc. (Knight, Dict. Mech.)
(a) 1792. A. Young, Trav. France, 28. There are both sorts [of bears], carnivorous and vegetable-eaters.
1851–6. S. P. Woodward, Mollusca (1858), 12. All the land-snails are vegetable-feeders.
1867. M. Arnold, Celtic Lit., 4. Bathing people, vegetable-sellers, and donkey boys.
1875. C. C. Blake, Zool., 54. The cheiroptera are, however, vegetable-feeders.
(b) 1838. Penny Cycl., XII. 493/1. In a vegetable-feeding insect the stomach is very voluminous.
1874. J. W. Long, Amer. Wild-fowl, xxv. 262. They are exceedingly expert divers, and can swim under water to much longer distances than any others of the vegetable-eating ducks.
1897. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., III. 966. These stony masses are found in the intestines of many vegetable-feeding animals.
