Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To grow or sprout as a plant does.
- intransitive verb Medicine To grow pathologically on a body part, as a wartlike lesion on a heart valve.
- intransitive verb To exist in a state of physical or mental inactivity.
- intransitive verb To engage in relaxing or passive activities, such as watching television.
- intransitive verb To grow over or cover with vegetation.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In pathology, to grow in the form of an excrescence.
- Same as
sprout , 5. - To grow in the manner of plants; fulfil vegetable functions.
- Hence To live an idle, unthinking, useless life; have a mere inactive physical existence; live on without material or intellectual achievement.
- To cause to vegetate or grow.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To grow, as plants, by nutriment imbibed by means of roots and leaves; to start into growth; to sprout; to germinate.
- intransitive verb Fig.: To lead a life too low for an animate creature; to do nothing but eat and grow.
- intransitive verb (Med.) To grow exuberantly; to produce fleshy or warty outgrowths.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb of a plant To
grow orsprout . - verb of a wart, etc. To
spread abnormally . - verb informal To live or spend a period of time in a dull, inactive, un-challenging way.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb produce vegetation
- verb engage in passive relaxation
- verb establish vegetation on
- verb grow like a plant
- verb propagate asexually
- verb lead a passive existence without using one's body or mind
- verb grow or spread abnormally
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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BULBS are to be gathered after the new bulb is perfected, and before it has begun to vegetate, which is at the time the leaves decay.
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Are to be gathered after the new bulb is perfected, and before it has begun to vegetate, which is at the time the leaves decay.
General directions for collecting and drying medicinal substances of the vegetable kingdom : list and description of indigenous plants, etc., their medicinal properties, forms of administration, and doses, Confederate States of America. Surgeon General 1862
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He said he did not intend to "vegetate" after his retirement and had been approached to do consulting work in the fields of water affairs, telecommunications, mining, the liquid fuels industry and the public service.
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I scarcely know a greater injury that can be inflicted than the advice too often given to the first class to "vegetate" – or than the admiration too often bestowed on the latter class for "pluck."
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In a meeting with high level U.S. officials in advance of the May 2010 election, Zenawi told them in plain words what he will do to his opposition if they try to "discredit the election": "If opposition groups resort to violence in an attempt to discredit the election, we will crush them with our full force; they will all vegetate like Birtukan Midekssa in jail forever."
Alemayehu G. Mariam: Thugtatorship: The Highest Stage of African Dictatorship Alemayehu G. Mariam 2011
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In a meeting with high level U.S. officials in advance of the May 2010 election, Zenawi told them in plain words what he will do to his opposition if they try to "discredit the election": "If opposition groups resort to violence in an attempt to discredit the election, we will crush them with our full force; they will all vegetate like Birtukan Midekssa in jail forever."
Alemayehu G. Mariam: Thugtatorship: The Highest Stage of African Dictatorship Alemayehu G. Mariam 2011
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At first I was thinking why is there so many people on the sofa … but great play on the word vegetate.
Not lookin’ good. 2009
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I had a brief hope that I would be allowed to vegetate in the yellow light with a hamburger, lemon mineral water and my low tar cigarettes.
MOTHS 2010
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I'm feeling slightly calmer now, although rather exhausted - I wish I could have a weekend when I didn't actually have anything on and could just...vegetate instead of running around like a headless chicken a common pass time for me completing chores.
Back From The Fray... orannia 2010
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I'm feeling slightly calmer now, although rather exhausted - I wish I could have a weekend when I didn't actually have anything on and could just...vegetate instead of running around like a headless chicken a common pass time for me completing chores.
Archive 2010-02-01 orannia 2010
wajo22 commented on the word vegetate
strangely, i thought this word was germane to the word vegetation
April 11, 2008
shanvrolijk commented on the word vegetate
intransitive v. To exist in a state of physical or mental inactivity or insensibility.
I thought that it would doubtless be more to the purpose to try and help my comrades as a doctor than to vegetate or finally lose my life as the unproductive laborer that I was then.
"Others merely live, I vegetate"
Source: The times Literary supplement
January 21, 2018