I. vege‧ta‧ble¹ S3 W3 /ˈvedʒtəbəl/ 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

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. vegetable² adjective [only before noun]
formal relating to plants in general, rather than animals or things that are not living ⇒ mineral:
decomposing vegetable matter

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

vegetable
noun
ADJ. green, leafy, root, salad The children don't eat enough green vegetables.
crisp a salad of crisp, raw vegetables
cooked, raw | fresh, frozen, tinned | organic | early, seasonal, spring, summer, winter | rotten
VERB + VEGETABLE grow They grow all their own vegetables.
eat, have | boil, cook, overcook, parboil, steam, stir-fry | chop, peel, puree
VEGETABLE + NOUN garden, patch, plot | market, stall | rack | crop | produce | dish, soup, stew, stock, terrine | fat, oil | protein | dye | fibre, matter
 ⇒ Special page at FOOD

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

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 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.
grow vegetables
If we had a garden, we could grow our own vegetables.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

vegetable
noun
BAD: I buy a lot of fresh fruit and vegetable.
GOOD: I buy a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Usage Note:
Unlike fruit , vegetable is a countable noun: 'Alan has never been keen on vegetables.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲