Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or characteristic of plants or their growth.
  • adjective Of, relating to, or capable of growth.
  • adjective Of, relating to, or functioning in processes such as growth or nutrition rather than reproduction.
  • adjective Of or relating to asexual reproduction, such as fission or budding.
  • adjective Spending much time sitting or lying down; physically inactive.
  • adjective Medicine Of or relating to an impaired level of brain function in which a person responds to certain sensory stimuli but demonstrates no cognitive function.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Growing, or having the power of physical growth, as plants; of or pertaining to physical growth or nutrition, especially in plants.
  • In animal physiol., noting those functions or organs of the body which, being performed or acting unconsciously or involuntarily, are likened to the processes of vegetable growth, as digestion, circulation, secretion, and excretion, which are particularly concerned in the nutrition or in the growth, waste, and repair of the organism: opposed to the specially ani mal functions, as locomotion, cerebration, etc.
  • Hence, characterized by such physical processes only; lacking intellectual activity; stagnant; unprogressive.
  • Having the power to produce or support growth in plants: as, the vegetative properties of soil.
  • noun A vegetable.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Growing, or having the power of growing, as plants; capable of vegetating.
  • adjective Having the power to produce growth in plants.
  • adjective (Biol.) Having relation to growth or nutrition; partaking of simple growth and enlargement of the systems of nutrition, apart from the sensorial or distinctively animal functions; vegetal.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of, or relating to plants; especially to their growth.
  • adjective biology Of, or relating to functions such as growth, nutrition and asexual reproduction rather than sexual reproduction.
  • adjective Physically inactive.
  • adjective medicine Of a state of impaired brain function, where a person can respond to some stimuli but is incapable of voluntary acts.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective composed of vegetation or plants
  • adjective relating to involuntary bodily functions
  • adjective (of reproduction) characterized by asexual processes
  • adjective of or relating to an activity that is passive and monotonous

Etymologies

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Examples

  • "People like to use the term vegetative roof system," OGS spokeswoman Heather Groll said of the $1.1 million. 32,000-square-foot project.

    timesunion.com: Local Breaking News webmaster@timesunion.com 2010

  • "People like to use the term vegetative roof system," OGS spokeswoman Heather Groll said of the $1.1 million. 32,000-square-foot project.

    timesunion.com: Local Breaking News webmaster@timesunion.com 2010

  • Then it is very probable that the soul of these reptiles is of a different kind from that which we call vegetative soul in plants; that it is a faculty of a superior order, which God has vouchsafed to give to certain portions of matter.

    A Philosophical Dictionary 2007

  • The last symptoms are particularly suggestive of a real clinical depression, and are often called vegetative symptoms of depression.

    Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.: Identifying Depression M.D. Norman E. Rosenthal 2011

  • The last symptoms are particularly suggestive of a real clinical depression, and are often called vegetative symptoms of depression.

    Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.: Identifying Depression M.D. Norman E. Rosenthal 2011

  • We now report on new fundamental studies on GAII in vegetative matter and on a simple way for significant performance improvement of Zn/Cu-vegetative battery.

    tingilinde: 2010

  • The last symptoms are particularly suggestive of a real clinical depression, and are often called vegetative symptoms of depression.

    Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.: Identifying Depression M.D. Norman E. Rosenthal 2011

  • The last symptoms are particularly suggestive of a real clinical depression, and are often called vegetative symptoms of depression.

    Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.: Identifying Depression M.D. Norman E. Rosenthal 2011

  • Once one accepts that premise, and anyone who claims otherwise does not understand basic economics, then a system that favors research and prevention over life support for patients in long-term vegetative states is not only the most reasonable choice, but also the most ethical one.

    Jacob M. Appel: Rational Rationing vs. Irrational Rationing: The Struggle for the Legacy of Ruben Betancourt 2010

  • Ghosts of expunged flora, the never-born groaning in vegetative chancery beneath the asphalt came up with a tropical curse, an equatorial leaden wet sweat of air which rose from the earth itself, rose right up through the baked asphalt and into the heated air which entered the lungs like a hand slipping into a rubber glove.

    Southpaw Grammar Matthew Guerrieri 2007

Comments

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  • As in persistent vegetative state.

    April 1, 2007

  • My dad's favorite thing to do after a hard day's work was sit in front of the TV and vegetate. His words. He was perfectly healthy, if a bit lazy. ;-)

    April 1, 2007