VEG'ETATE, verb intransitive [Latin vegeto, vigeo, to flourish.] To sprout; to germinate; to grow; as plants; to grow and be enlarged by nutriment imbibed from the earth, air or water, by means of roots and leaves. Plants will not vegetate without a certain degree of heat; but some plants vegetate with less heat than others. Potatoes will vegetate after they are pared. See dying vegetables life sustain, see life dissolving vegetate again.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI