vegetation

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noun veg·e·ta·tion \ ˌve-jə-ˈtā-shən \

Definition of vegetation

1 :plant life or total plant cover (as of an area)

2 :the act or process of vegetating

3 :inert existence

4 :an abnormal growth upon a body part

fibrin vegetations on the mitral valve

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vegetational

play \ˌve-jə-ˈtā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

See vegetation defined for English-language learners

See vegetation defined for kids

Examples of vegetation in a Sentence

the dense vegetation of the jungle
the local vegetation is flourishing as a result of the recent rains

Recent Examples of vegetation from the Web

Adding vegetation, reclaiming stormwater, and building local conveyance systems for delivery of this water offer more promising solutions.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "Houston's Flood Is a Design Problem," 28 Aug. 2017
Mariemont was allowed to finish the project by backfilling the area where the landslide occurred with soil, discharging soil and rock along Whiskey Run Creek to stabilize the bottom of the slope and planting native vegetation.

— jeanne houck, Cincinnati.com, "Mariemont: From bikes to burial grounds," 22 Aug. 2017
The decay of vegetation becomes flower food for brand new roses, Cancer.

— bess matassa, Teen Vogue, "Total Solar Eclipse Horoscope," 19 Aug. 2017
Buffers of trees and vegetation along streams perform three important functions in protecting fish habitat.

— washington forest protection association, The Seattle Times, "Working forests help purify water sources for salmon habitat," 7 Aug. 2017
The fires have consumed 17,300 acres of trees and other vegetation.

— Washington Post, "World Digest: July 27, 2017," 27 July 2017
Examples include climate data, such as precipitation and wind speed; natural features, such as topography and vegetation cover; and human features, such as air traffic and proximity to roads.

— rachel buxton, Smithsonian, "How Human Noise Ruins Parks for Animals and People," 19 July 2017
The site is stark and muddy now, but officials plan to begin the next phase — planting native vegetation — after September, to avoid summer heat that could kill the plants, Fuller said.

— deborah sullivan brennan, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Parking lot becomes salt marsh in Del Mar wetland restoration," 17 July 2017
Everyone has heard that when an American forest is cut down, a very different vegetation springs up.

— Longreads, "Late in Life, Thoreau Became a Serious Darwinist," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vegetation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of vegetation

borrowed from Medieval Latin vegetātiōn-, vegetātiō "power of growth," going back to Latin, "act of invigorating," from vegetāre "to impart energy to, invigorate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal nouns — more at vegetate

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First Known Use: 1564

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vegetation Synonyms

Synonyms

flora, foliage, green, herbage, leafage, greenery, verdure

Related Words

grassland, prairie; underbrush, undergrowth

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

VEGETATION Defined for English Language Learners

vegetation

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noun

Definition of vegetation for English Language Learners

: plants in general : plants that cover a particular area

VEGETATION Defined for Kids

vegetation

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noun veg·e·ta·tion \ ˌve-jə-ˈtā-shən \

Definition of vegetation for Students

:plant life or cover (as of an area)

The valley was green with vegetation.

Medical Dictionary

vegetation

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noun veg·e·ta·tion \ ˌvej-ə-ˈtā-shən \

medical Definition of vegetation

:an abnormal outgrowth upon a body part; specifically :any of the warty excrescences on the valves of the heart that are composed of various tissue elements including fibrin and collagen and that are typical of endocarditis