Vegetation
/ˌvɛdʒəˈteɪʃən/noun
Plant life collectively, especially the plants of a region or habitat.
Did you know?Vegetation comes from Latin *vegetatio*, meaning “animation” or “quickening,” from *vegetare*—so the word originally carried the eerie sense of being stirred into life.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wegʷ-
“to be lively, active, strong”
Classical Latin
Latin
vegetus
“active, lively, vigorous”
Late Latin
Latin
vegetatio
“animation, quickening; the act of enlivening”
Old French
Old French
vegetacion
“growth of plants; plant life”
Middle English
English
vegetacioun
“plant growth, the condition of growing plants”
Modern English
English
vegetation
“plant life collectively”
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