| 释义 |
vegetability|ˌvɛdʒɪtəˈbɪlɪtɪ|
[ad. med.L. *vegetabilitas, f. L. vegetābilis vegetable a.: see -ity. Cf. OF. vegetablete (Godef.), F. végétabilité, It. vegetabilità, Sp. vegetabilidad.]
†1. A vegetable organism. Obs. rare—1.
c1400tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 90 It shewys opynly..þat euerylk kende of vegetabilitez haues a propre ordre, þat ys, complexioun.
2. Vegetable character, quality, or nature.
1646Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. ii. v. 91 [The] lapidificall juyce of the Sea, which entring the parts of that plant [sc. coral], overcomes its vegetability, and converts it into a lapideous substance. 1670Phil. Trans. V. 2035 A description of sundry new Metals, or Semi-metals, as he calls them; together with a discourse of their Vegetability. 1686Plot Staffordsh. 189 These..have their vegetability the same way, with the porous species of Coral. 1854Fraser's Mag. L. 192 If any additional proofs of the vegetability of coral⁓lines were needed. 1858T. R. Jones Aquarian Nat. 136 The mineralogists..questioned the vegetability of such of these productions as were of a hard and stony nature. |