Origin: Latin suffix -able
Vegetable has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
any of various herbaceous plants cultivated for an edible part such as the fruit or the root of the beet or the leaf of spinach or the seeds of bean plants or the flower buds of broccoli or cauliflower
"We added a fresh side of steamed broccoli, sliced beets, and baby spinach to our dinner plate."
Any plant.
"The garden was filled with every kind of vegetable, from wild herbs to tall trees."
Of or relating to plants.
"The new fertilizer promotes growth in all vegetables and other vegetation."
The word "vegetable" comes from the Latin vegetābilis, meaning "able to live and grow." It entered English through Old French, replacing the earlier Old English terms for plant.