noun + vegetable : root, salad, stir-fry; spring, winter
adjective + vegetable : green, leafy, mixed, seasonal; fresh, frozen, organic; pickled, roasted, steamed
vegetable + be + adjective : soft, tender
verb + vegetable : grow, plant; chop, eat, cook, wash
veg|etar|ian /ve dʒ I teə riən/ (vegetarians )
1 ADJ Someone who is vegetarian never eats meat or fish. □ Yasmin sticks to a strict vegetarian diet. ● N‑COUNT A vegetarian is someone who is vegetarian. □ …a special menu for vegetarians.
2 ADJ Vegetarian food does not contain any meat or fish. □ …vegetarian lasagnes.
veg|etari|an|ism /ve dʒ I teə riən I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT If someone practises vegetarianism , they never eat meat or fish.
veg|etate /ve dʒ I te I t/ (vegetates , vegetating , vegetated ) VERB If someone vegetates , they spend their time doing boring or worthless things. □ [V ] He spends all his free time at home vegetating in front of the TV.
veg|etat|ed /ve dʒ I te I t I d/ ADJ [usu adv ADJ ] If an area is vegetated , it is covered with plants and trees. [FORMAL ] □ That part of Castle Walk is not thickly vegetated.
veg|eta|tion /ve dʒ I te I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT Plants, trees, and flowers can be referred to as vegetation . [FORMAL ] □ The inn has a garden of semi-tropical vegetation.
veg|eta|tive /ve dʒ I tət I v, [AM ] -te I t-/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If someone is in a vegetative state, they are unable to move, think, or speak, and their condition is not likely to improve. [MEDICAL ] □ She was in what was described as a vegetative state.
veg|gie /ve dʒi/ (veggies )
1 ADJ Veggie means the same as vegetarian . [mainly BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ You can cook a cheap veggie chilli in 15 minutes. ● N‑COUNT A veggie is someone who is vegetarian.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Veggies are plants such as cabbages, potatoes, and onions which you can cook and eat. [mainly AM , INFORMAL ] □ …well-balanced meals of fresh fruit and veggies, chicken, fish, pasta, and no red meat. in BRIT, usually use veg
veg|gie|burg|er /ve dʒibɜː r gə r / → see vegeburger
ve|he|ment /viː əmənt/ ADJ If a person or their actions or comments are vehement , the person has very strong feelings or opinions and expresses them forcefully. □ She suddenly became very vehement and agitated, jumping around and shouting. □ She is a vehement critic of government policy. ● ve|he|mence N‑UNCOUNT □ He spoke more loudly and with more vehemence than he had intended. ● ve|he|ment|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Krabbe has always vehemently denied stealing the car.
ve|hi|cle ◆◆◇ /viː I k ə l/ (vehicles )
1 N‑COUNT A vehicle is a machine such as a car, bus, or truck which has an engine and is used to carry people from place to place. □ …a vehicle which was somewhere between a tractor and a truck.
2 N‑COUNT You can use vehicle to refer to something that you use in order to achieve a particular purpose. □ [+ for ] Her art became a vehicle for her political beliefs.
ve|hicu|lar /v I h I kjʊlə r / ADJ [usu ADJ n] Vehicular is used to describe something which relates to vehicles and traffic. [FORMAL ] □ …vehicular traffic. □ There is no vehicular access.
veil /ve I l/ (veils )
1 N‑COUNT A veil is a piece of thin soft cloth that women sometimes wear over their heads and which can also cover their face. □ She's got long fair hair, but she's got a veil over it.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] You can refer to something that hides or partly hides a situation or activity as a veil . □ [+ of ] The country is ridding itself of its disgraced prime minister in a veil of secrecy. □ [+ of ] The chilling facts behind this veil of silence were slow to emerge.
3 N‑COUNT You can refer to something that you can partly see through, for example a mist, as a veil . [LITERARY ] □ [+ of ] The eruption has left a thin veil of dust in the upper atmosphere.
4 PHRASE If you draw a veil over something, you stop talking about it because it is too unpleasant to talk about. □ The clamour to draw a veil over the minister's extra-marital activities reeks of hypocrisy.
veiled /ve I ld/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] A veiled comment is expressed in a disguised form rather than directly and openly. □ He made only a veiled reference to international concerns over human rights issues. □ This last clause is a thinly-veiled threat to those who might choose to ignore the decree.
2 ADJ A woman or girl who is veiled is wearing a veil. □ A veiled woman gave me a kindly smile.
vein /ve I n/ (veins )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Your veins are the thin tubes in your body through which your blood flows towards your heart. Compare artery . □ Many veins are found just under the skin.
2 → see also varicose vein
3 N‑COUNT [usu sing, usu adj N ] Something that is written or spoken in a particular vein is written or spoken in that style or mood. □ It is one of his finest works in a lighter vein.
4 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A vein of a particular quality is evidence of that quality which someone often shows in their behaviour or work. □ [+ of ] This Spanish drama has a vein of black humour running through it.