vegetarian

UK/vɛ.d͡ʒɪˈtɛə.ɹi.ən/US/vɛ.d͡ʒɪˈtɛ.ɹi.ən/

nounB1+Common in everyday speech and writing · #4,187 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: vegetarians

A vegetarian is a person who eats no meat. Strict vegetarian, a vegetarian option, become a vegetarian.

Fish is meat for this purpose, whatever menus imply — somebody who eats fish is a pescatarian. A vegan avoids all animal products including dairy and eggs. The word was popularised by the British Vegetarian Society in 1847, and the idea is far older than the word.

Definitions of vegetarian

1nounvegetarianA person who eats no meat.B1+
“As a vegetarian, she ordered the mushroom risotto instead of the steak.”
- Said"Is there a vegetarian option? My sister doesn't eat meat."
- WrittenThe vegetarians got the mushroom pie, which the rest of the table then wanted too.
- UsedKeep one vegetarian dish on every menu.
- ContrastA vegetarian, not a vegan. A vegan eats nothing from animals; a vegetarian still eats cheese, eggs and honey. vegan →
- Not thisSomeone who eats chicken but not beef is not a vegetarian. A vegetarian eats no flesh.
- SimplyShe is a vegetarian. She eats no meat.
Patterna vegetarian dish / diet / option · vegetarian food · become a vegetarian · veggie

vegetarian is a kind of eater.

Also accepted in games: veggie

Remember it

VEGETarian → VEGETables only, like a cow

Like a cow: happy all day with plants and vegetables, and never once a piece of meat.

hooks ontovegetable

Where it comes from

Vegetable plus -arian, popularised after the British Vegetarian Society was founded in 1847.

Latin
vegetābilis
Old French
vegetable
Middle English
vegetable
English
vegetable
English, today
vegetarian

Built from

vegetāre · Latin — to enliven

From vegetable + -arian. From vegetable + -arian; popularized following the foundation of the British Vegetarian Society in 1847. vegetable comes from Middle English vegetable, from Old French vegetable, from Latin vegetābilis. From Middle English vegetable, from Old French vegetable, from Latin vegetābilis (“able to live and grow”), derived from vegetāre (“to enliven”). wyrt and ofett, whence modern wort and ovest. Related to vigil, vigour, vajra, and waker.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in In the Kitchen

Practise this word

vegetarian in the wild

While monks, nuns and a minority of believers are vegetarian year-round, many believers follow the Buddhist vegetarian diet for celebrations.
Buddhist cuisine
A larger number of towns and cities are vegetarian-friendly.
Vegetarianism
In other locations, finding vegetarian food can pose some difficulties.
Vegetarianism
The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (VSUK) is a British registered charity that promotes vegetarian diets.
Vegetarian Society
Other communities are vegetarian-friendly with a higher than average number of vegetarians but the majority of residents are meat-eaters.
Vegetarianism by country

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the vegetāre family

vegetable vegetarian

vegetarian — used about once every 837 pages · #4,187 · point at the bar for the others

Definitions of vegetarian

1nounvegetarianA person who eats no meat.B1+

“As a vegetarian, she ordered the mushroom risotto instead of the steak.”

Said"Is there a vegetarian option? My sister doesn't eat meat."
WrittenThe vegetarians got the mushroom pie, which the rest of the table then wanted too.
UsedKeep one vegetarian dish on every menu.
ContrastA vegetarian, not a vegan. A vegan eats nothing from animals; a vegetarian still eats cheese, eggs and honey. vegan →
Not thisSomeone who eats chicken but not beef is not a vegetarian. A vegetarian eats no flesh.
SimplyShe is a vegetarian. She eats no meat.

Patterna vegetarian dish / diet / option · vegetarian food · become a vegetarian · veggie

vegetarian is a kind of eater.

Also accepted in games: veggie