Where does “vegetarianism” come from?
Vegetarianism derives from English vegetarian, which comes from English vegetable, from Latin vegetabilis meaning "capable of growing," from Latin vegetus meaning "lively" or "vigorous," from Latin vegeo meaning "to enliven."
vegetarianism (English): The practice of following a vegetarian diet
Definitions
- The practice of following a vegetarian diet
Ancestry of “vegetarianism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | vegetarian | A person who does not eat animal flesh, or, in... |
| 2 | English | vegetable | Any plant; A plant raised for some edible part of... |
| 3 | Middle English | vegetable | — |
| 4 | Old French | vegetable | — |
| 5 | Latin | vegetabilis | animating, enlivening, vivifying; able to produce... |
| 6 | Latin | vegeto | I arouse, enliven, quicken, animate, invigorate;... |
| 7 | Latin | vegetus | enlivened, lively, animated, vigorous, active,... |
| 8 | Latin | vegeo | I move, excite, quicken, arouse; I am lively or... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | wegeō | to be active, lively |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | wegejō | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | woǵ-éye- | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵ- | lively, awake; strong |