veggie

English

Etymology

From pronounced stem of vegetable or vegetarian +‎ -ie

Pronunciation

• Audio (UK)

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• Rhymes: -ɛdʒi

Noun

veggie (plural veggies)

1. (informal) A vegetable.
   • 1931, United States. Dept. of Agriculture, Yearbook of agriculture‎, page 13:

     There was lots of rice, at least 20 different "veggies" and all kinds of soups.

   • 1937, American cookery, volume 42‎, page 498: 

     and eight small dishes of 'veggies,' as we have taught our children lovingly to term that important item of food known as vegetables.

2. (informal) A vegetarian.

   I'm a veggie at heart - the idea of animals dying to make my food, I find totally abhorrent.

Synonyms

• (vegetable): veg
• (vegetarian): veggo (Australian)

Translations

vegetable

• Finnish: kasvis (fi)
• Italian: verdura (it) f

• Portuguese: vegetal (pt) m, verdura (pt) f
• Swedish: grönsak (sv) c

vegetarian

• Finnish: kasvis (fi)
• Italian: vegetariano (it) m

• Portuguese: vegetariano (pt) m, vegetariana (pt) m
• Swedish: vegetarian (sv) c

Adjective

veggie (not comparable)

1. (informal) vegetarian; suitable for vegetarians

   I don't eat meat - do you have anything veggie on the menu?

   • 1985, Ellen Goodman, Keeping in touch:

     One place was too crowded last time, another too expensive, a third she liked but he thought too "veggie."

   • 2001 January 20, “Simplicity of Mennonite cookbook makes converts”, Dallas Morning News:

     Diet for a Small Planet was also popular at the time, but it was a little too 'veggie,' a little too new for some people.

   • 2004 September 1, “Pasta Thai a winner in new competition”, Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Journal-Sentinel:

     Steven Beeson of Milwaukee won a blue ribbon with this very veggie entree

2. Vegetable-like.
   • 1993 July 21, “Reading between the WINES”, San Diego (California) Union-Tribune:

     So we actually proved that the old folklore about a dense canopy leading to very veggie wines was true Noble said.

   • 2001 September 16, “Fighting cancer with a menu”, Chicago Tribune:

     The main courses are heavy on beans and may be too veggie for the typical meat eater to swallow but side dishes are less exotic and just as healthy ...

   • 2009 February 4, “The Edgy Veggie: Some greens with that candy bar?”, Oakland (California) Tribune:

     They're neither too sweet nor too veggie, but like the other bars, have more calories than a bucket of broccoli.

Synonyms

• (vegetarian): veggo (Australian)

Translations

vegetarian; suitable for vegetarians

• German: vegetarisch (de)
• Italian: vegetariano (it)

• Swedish: vegetarisk (sv)

Derived terms

• veggie burger
• veggieburger