Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “vegetal” come from?

Vegetal comes from Late Latin vegetalis, derived from Latin vegeto, from Latin vegetus meaning vigorous, which traces back through Latin vegeo, Proto-Italic wegeō and wegejō, to the Proto-Indo-European root weǵ-.

vegetal (English): Capable of growth and reproduction, but not...

Definitions

  1. Capable of growth and reproduction, but not...

Ancestry of “vegetal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Medieval Latinvegetalis—
2LatinvegetoI arouse, enliven, quicken, animate, invigorate;...
3Latinvegetusenlivened, lively, animated, vigorous, active,...
4LatinvegeoI move, excite, quicken, arouse; I am lively or...
5Proto-Italicwegeōto be active, lively
6Proto-Italicwegejō—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwoǵ-éye-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵ-lively, awake; strong

Words derived from “vegetal”

  • vegetally
  • vegetaline
  • vegetality
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵ- →