the.com/veggie
The diminutive that makes broccoli sound like a friend instead of a chore.
means An informal short form of 'vegetable,' used for the edible, non-animal parts of the plant kingdom you eat (or avoid eating).
from A 20th-century clipping of 'vegetable' (itself from Latin vegetabilis, 'able to live or grow,' from vegere, 'to be lively'), with the cheery '-ie/-y' diminutive suffix tacked on — the same ending that turns 'dog' into 'doggie.' The suffix is common in informal English for making things sound smaller, softer, or more approachable, which is exactly the job it does here.
- linguistic trick
- cute suffix tricks kids into eating vegetables
- marketing move
- veggie burger sounds friendlier than vegetable burger
- technically vague
- mushrooms and herbs often sneak in too
- same family
- doggie, movie, veggie all soften via diminutive -ie