What does vegetarian mean?
A vegetarian is someone who abstains from eating meat or fish, and vegetarian describes foods, meals, diets, and lifestyles based on that principle. The word is used for both people and practices: someone may become a vegetarian, follow a vegetarian diet, or order a vegetarian meal. In standard modern usage, a vegetarian may still eat eggs, dairy products, and honey, although practices differ among individuals and are sometimes specified more precisely. The term has a neutral connotation and is common in both British and American English. Its broader associations with health, environmental concern, and animal welfare became especially prominent during the twentieth century. Etymologically, it combines the root of vegetable with the suffix -arian, a feature of nineteenth-century English formations naming adherents of a system or practice. As a result, vegetarian carries both a literal dietary meaning and the wider cultural history of movements that treated food choices as expressions of ethical or moral commitment.
A person who abstains from eating meat or fish.
"The restaurant has several dishes that are suitable for vegetarians."
The plural is vegetarians. The term is commonly used in both British and American English.
Consisting of or relating to food without meat or fish; characteristic of a lifestyle that excludes meat and fish.
"They chose a vegetarian menu for the banquet."
The adjective can modify food, meals, diets, restaurants, and lifestyles.
The standard plural refers to people who avoid eating meat and fish.
"The café welcomes vegetarians and other diners with specialized dietary requirements."
Born in early-19th-century Britain, vegetarian was more than a diet: it became a moral vision of living.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vegetarian come from?
Vegetarian was formed in early nineteenth-century English from vegetable and the suffix -arian, a pattern used for people associated with a system or practice. Vegetable itself comes through French from Latin vegetabilis, meaning “growing” or “fit for plant growth,” ultimately associated with the Latin verb vegetare, “to grow.” The modern sense developed from the idea of a diet consisting of plant foods, and the term was soon adopted by British reform movements that connected dietary choices with broader moral concerns.
Related word forms
How vegetarian is actually used
The term is neutral and widely used in formal and informal registers. In everyday usage it does not ordinarily specify whether eggs, dairy products, or honey are avoided, so further qualification may be needed when that distinction matters.
Easily confused with vegetarian
A vegetarian avoids meat and fish but may eat eggs, dairy products, and honey, whereas a vegan avoids all animal-derived products.
A vegetable is a plant or part of a plant used as food; a vegetarian is a person who avoids eating meat and fish.