Vegetus
/ˈwɛdʒ.ɪ.təs/noun
A Latin adjective meaning lively, vigorous, or brisk.
Did you know?Vegetus comes from a Latin root tied to being lively and alert, and it later helped shape English words like “vegetable” and “vegetate,” even though those meanings drifted far from the original energy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wegʰ-
“to be strong, lively, or active”
Latin
Latin
vegetus
“lively, active, vigorous, fresh”
Late Latin
Latin
vegetabilis
“animating, enlivening”
Old French
Old French
vegetable
“a plant or living growing thing”
Middle English
English
vegetable
“a plant, then later a cultivated edible plant”
Modern English
English
vegetable / vegetate
“an edible plant; to live in a dull, inactive state”