I heard on QI that the Vegetarian Society claims the word "vegetarian" comes not from the same root as "vegetable", but from the Latin "vegetus", which means "lively or vigorous". No mainstream dictionary agrees with them though, they all say it comes from "vegetable" too. I just thought it was quite interesting :P
I just OED'd this one. The OED mentions veget- being the root (as opposed to vegetable) and says the word was spread by the Vegetarian Society (formed in Ramsgate in 1847) but then in the quotations, cites it in an article written in 1842, meaning The Vegetarian Society can't really lay claim to the word.
Tell you what is interesting. They're saying it means lively and vigorous but the same root word can form vegetating (or persistent vegetative state) which is kind of the polar oppose of lively and vigorous. :)
Is it normal to hate the terms "pro-choice" and "pro-life"?
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I heard on QI that the Vegetarian Society claims the word "vegetarian" comes not from the same root as "vegetable", but from the Latin "vegetus", which means "lively or vigorous". No mainstream dictionary agrees with them though, they all say it comes from "vegetable" too. I just thought it was quite interesting :P
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I just OED'd this one. The OED mentions veget- being the root (as opposed to vegetable) and says the word was spread by the Vegetarian Society (formed in Ramsgate in 1847) but then in the quotations, cites it in an article written in 1842, meaning The Vegetarian Society can't really lay claim to the word.
Tell you what is interesting. They're saying it means lively and vigorous but the same root word can form vegetating (or persistent vegetative state) which is kind of the polar oppose of lively and vigorous. :)