vegetable

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Any plant

Nouns

1. vegetable kingdom, vegetation, vegetable life; plants, flora, verdure; growth, biome; weed.

2. vegetable, fungus, legume, fruit, nut, seed (see food).

3. tree; acacia, alder, almond, apple, apricot, arborvitae, arbutus, ash, aspen, avocado, balsa, banana, banyan, baobab, basswood, bay[berry], beech, betel palm, birch, blackthorn, boxwood, Brazil nut, breadfruit, buckeye, buckthorn, butternut, cacao, candleberry, carnauba, carob, cashew, bassia, catalpa, cedar, cherimoya, cherry, chestnut, chinaberry, chinquapin, cinnamon, citron, citrus, clove, coconut, coffee tree, cornel, cottonwood, cypress, dogwood, dungon, ebony, elder, elm, encina, eucalyptus, fig, fir, frankincense, gardenia, ginkgo, grapefruit, guava, hum, hackberry, hawthorn, hazel, hemlock, henna, hickory, holly, hornbeam, horse chestnut, ironwood, jacaranda, juniper, kauri, kumquat, laburnum, lancewood, larch, laurel, lehua, lemon, lime, linden, litchi, locust, magnolia, mahogany, manchineel, mango, mangrove, maple, mastic, medlar, mesquite, mimosa, monkeypod, mulberry, nutmeg, nux vomica, oak, olive, orange, palm, palmetto, papaw, papaya, pawpaw, peach, pear, pecan, persimmon, pine, pistachio, plane, plum, pomegranate, pomelo, poplar, quince, rambutan, redwood, rosewood, rubber, sandalwood, sandarac, sapodilla, sappanwood, sassafras, satinwood, senna, sequoia, serviceberry, snowbell, soapberry, sorb, soursop, speedwell, spruce, sumac, sweetsop, sycamore, tacamahac, tamarack, tamarind, tangerine, teak, torreya, tupelo, upas, walnut, wattle, willow, witch hazel, yew.

4. shrub, bush, hedge; alder, allspice, aloe, arbutus, azalea, babasco, barberry, bayberry, bilberry, blackberry, blackthorn, blueberry, box, bramble, broom, buddleia, buttonbush, caper, cascarilla, cassia, cayenne, choke-berry, cinchona, clematis, cleome, coca, coffeeberry, cranberry, cubeb, currant, daphne, divi-divi, elderberry, erica, euonymus, farkleberry, firethorn, forsythia, frangipani, fuchsia, furze, genista, germander, gooseberry, gorse, grape, greasewood, greenbrier, guava, haw, heath, heather, hemlock, hibiscus, holly, honeysuckle, huckleberry, hydrangea, indigo, jojoba, jute, kalmia, kat, kumquat, laurel, lavender, lespedeza, lilac, ling, magnolia, manzanita, milkwort, mistletoe, myrtle, nandina, ninebark, oleander, pepper, philodendron, photinia, poison oak, poison sumac, prickly ash, privet, quassia, raspberry, rhododendron, rose, sage[brush], service-berry, sisal, sloe, smilax, spirea, strawberry, syringa, tamarisk, titi, toyon, veronica, viburnum, whin, winterberry, wisteria, yaupon, zenobia.

5. vine, creeper; actinidia, bean, bittersweet, bougainvillea, boxthorn, bramble, bryony, cantaloupe, casaba, chayote, slematic, cucumber, dewberry, dichondria, fleevine, gloryvine, gourd, grape, honeysuckle, hop, horsebrier, ipomoea, ivy, jasmine, kudzu, liana, loofah, melon, milkweed, moonseed, muscat, pea, peppervine, poison ivy, pokeweed, pumpkin, silvervine, similax, squash, stephanotis, string bean, vanilla, vetch, wandering Jew, watermelon, wintercreeper, wisteria, woodbine, yam.

6. herb[age]; ajuga, amaranth, angelica, anise, balm, basil, belladonna, bellwort, bergamot, betony, birthword, bitterroot, bladderwort, boneset, borage, bugle[weed], butterwort, calamint, calendula, caraway, cardamom, carrot, catmint, catnip, cauliflower, celery, chamomile, charlock, chervil, chicory, cilantro, clover, coleus, coriander, corydalis, cowbane, crowfoot, cumin, datura, dill, dittany, dropwort, eryngo, fennel, fenugreek, feverroot, figwort, finochio, fraxinella, germander, ginger, heliotrope, hemlock, hemp, henbane, henbit, honeywort, horehound, horsemint, hyssop, leadwort, lespedeza, licorice, lovage, lupine, mandrake, marijuana, marjoram, mint, monarda, monkshood, mullein, mustard, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, parsnip, patchouli, pennyroyal, peppermint, perilla, philodendron, rosemary, rudbeckia, rue, safflower, sage, salvia, samphire, sanicle, savory, sesame, sorrel, spearmint, spiderwort, tansy, tarragon, teasel, thyme, tobacco, trefoil, turmeric, wintergreen, woodruff, wormwood, wort, yarrow.

7. grass, furze, gorse, sod, turf; pasture, pasturage; [rush] sedge; alfalfa, bamboo, barley, bluegrass, bluejoint, bromegrass, broomcorn, buckwheat, bulrush, cane, chufa, corn, darnel, durra, durum wheat, eelgrass, fescue, foxtail, grama, hassock, hay, horsetail, khuskhus, lovegrass, maize, mesquite, millet, oat, paddy, papyrus, quitch, redtop, rice, rush, rye, sorghum, squitch, sugarcane, timothy, tule, vetiver, wheat, windlestraw, zoysia.

8. flower, flowering plant; annual, perennial, biennial, triennial; agave, ageratum, ailanthus, amaranth, amaryllis, anemone, arbutus, arethusa, arnica, arrowhead, artichoke, asphodel, aspidistra, aster, azalea, baby's-breath, bachelor's-button, begonia, berseem, betony, bird-of-paradise, bitterroot, black-eyed Susan, blazing star, bleeding heart, bluebell, bluebonnet, bluet, boltonia, broccoli, broom, buttercup, cactus, calendula, calypso, camass, camellia, campanula, candytuft, carnation, catalpa, cattail, century plant, chamomile, chysanthemum, cineraria, clematis, clethra, cockscomb, columbine, cornel, cornflower, corydalis, cosmos, cowslip, crocus, cyclamen, daffodil, dahlia, daisy, dandelion, delphinium, dogwood, duckweed, edelweiss, eglantine, erigeron, figwort, fireweed, flax, fleur-de-lis, forget-me-not, forsythia, foxglove, foxtail, frangipani, fuchsia, gardenia, gentian, geranium, gladiolus, goldenrod, groundsel, harebell, hawthorn, heather, hepatica, hibiscus, hogweed, hollyhock, honeysuckle, hyacinth, hydrangea, impatiens, indigo, iris, jack-in-the-pulpit, japonica, jasmine, jonquil, knotweed, lady's-slipper, larkspur, lavender, lehua, lilac, lily [of the valley], lobelia, lotus, lupine, magnolia, mallow, marguerite, marigold, mayflower, maypop, mayweed, mignonette, mimosa, morning glory, motherwort, mullein, narcissus, nasturtium, oleander, orchid, oxalis, pansy, pasqueflower, passionflower, pennyroyal, peony, periwinkle, petunia, phlox, pilewort, pink, pinxter, poinsettia, poppy, portulaca, primrose, pyrethrum, Queen Anne's lace, rafflesia, ragwort, ranunculus, rose, ruderal, safflower, saffron, saguaro, santonica, smilax, snapdragon, snowball, snowberry, snowdrop, spirea, stock, strawflower, sunflower, sweet pea, tamarisk, teasel, thistle, tidytips, trefoil, trillium, tulip, umbrella plant, vanilla, Venus's flytrap, verbena, vetch, viburnum, viola, violet, wallflower, water lily, wisteria, wolfbane, yarrow, yucca, zinnia.

9. timber, timberland, forest; wood[lands]; park, chase, greenwood, brake, grove, copse, coppice, thicket, spinney.

10. brush, underbrush, brushwood; jungle, prairie; heather, heath; fern, bracken, weed; fungus, mushroom, toadstool, chanterelle, crumblecap, deathcap, earthstar, milkcap, mottlegill, oyster cap, puffball, rust, scale-cap; lichen, moss; growth. Slang, frog bread.

11. foliage, foliation, branch, bough, ramage, leaf; flower, bloom, blossom, bine; pulse, legume, bean, root, bulb.

12. botany, vegetable physiology, phytology; horticulture; agriculture, agronomy; silviculture; aquaculture (see water).

13. botanist, plant physiologist, horticulturist, etc.

14. botanical gardens, herbarium, arboretum.

Adjectives — vegetable, vegetal, vegetative, herbaceous, botanic; sylvan, arboreous, arborescent, dendritic, grassy, verdant, verdurous; floral; mossy; woody, lignous, ligneous, xyloid; deciduous; wooden; woodsy, leguminous; endogenous, exogenous.

Phrases — It is not enough for a gardener to love flowers — he must also hate weeds.

Quotations — What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered (Emerson), All gardening is landscape-painting (Alexander Pope), He that plants trees loves others beside himself (Thomas Fuller), I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do (Willa Cather), I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree (Joyce Kilmer).

Antonyms, see animal, inorganic matter.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Concerning flora]

Syn. plant, plantlike, herblike, floral, blooming, blossoming, growing, flourishing.

2. [Without spirit]

Syn. dull, monotonous, stupid, passive, unthinking, stagnant, inert, comatose, humble, stationary, inactive, mild, quiet, lowly.

n.

1. [A plant]

Syn. herbaceous plant, herb, green, legume, garden produce, edible root.

Common vegetables include: cabbage, potato, turnip, bean, carrot, pea, celery, lettuce, parsnip, spinach, squash, zucchini, tomato, pumpkin, asparagus, onion, corn, lentil, leek, garlic, radish, cucumber, artichoke, eggplant, beet, scallion, pepper, okra, kohlrabi, parsley, celtuce, chard, rhubarb, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, celeriac, endive, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, water cress, chicory, kale, rutabaga, mushroom.

2. [An inert person]

Syn. clod, bump on a log*, couch potato*.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

1. plant herb, root, produce, potato, tomato, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, turnip, lettuce, spinach, cucumber, onion, scallion, leek, beet, green bean, asparagus, artichoke, eggplant.

2. nonfunctioning human comatose patient, *brain-dead patient, imbecile, idiot, moron, blob.