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Old 01-29-2008, 03:27 PM   #86 (permalink)
PonyPotato
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I'm going to argue with you here.

Vegetable is a culinary and traditional term, it has nothing to do with botanical definitions or plant science.

The basic definitions:
Quote:
Originally Posted by dictionary.com
veg·e·ta·ble /ˈvɛdʒtəbəl, ˈvɛdʒɪtə-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[vej-tuh-buhl, vej-i-tuh-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. any plant whose fruit, seeds, roots, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves, or flower parts are used as food, as the tomato, bean, beet, potato, onion, asparagus, spinach, or cauliflower.
2. the edible part of such a plant, as the tuber of the potato.
3. any member of the vegetable kingdom; plant.
4. Informal. a person who is so severely impaired mentally or physically as to be largely incapable of conscious responses or activity.
5. a dull, spiritless, and uninteresting person.
–adjective
6. of, consisting of, or made from edible vegetables: a vegetable diet.
7. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of plants: the vegetable kingdom.
8. derived from plants: vegetable fiber; vegetable oils.
9. consisting of, comprising, or containing the substance or remains of plants: vegetable matter; a vegetable organism.
10. of the nature of or resembling a plant: the vegetable forms of Art Nouveau ornament.
11. inactive; inert; dull; uneventful: a vegetable existence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by American Heritage Science Dictionary
vegetable (věj'tə-bəl) Pronunciation Key

1. A plant that is cultivated for an edible part, such as the leaf of spinach, the root of the carrot, or the stem of celery.
2. An edible part of one of these plants. See Note at fruit.
The culinary definition is that vegetables are usually used in savory dishes. Tomatoes are considered vegetables when it comes to their culinary uses, not their botanical definitions.
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