means An edible plant or part of a plant — root, stem, leaf, or otherwise — eaten as part of a meal, usually savory rather than sweet.

from From Latin 'vegetabilis,' meaning 'able to grow or live,' which itself springs from 'vegetare,' 'to animate or enliven' — the same lively root behind 'vigor' and 'vegetate.' Originally the word meant simply 'growing, living' and applied to all plant life; only later did it narrow to the things on your plate. So a vegetable was once anything that grew with vital force — a far grander notion than a humble carrot.