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The Difference Between Vegetarian, Vegan, and Other Diets
The word vegetarian sprouted up in 1839. Fruitarian ("a person who lives on fruit") ripened by 1893. In 1944, vegetarians who consume no animal or dairy products began calling themselves vegans. Then, in 1993, those who eat fish but no other meat chose pesce, the Italian word for "fish," to create the designation pescatarian. In that same year, meatatarian was served up as a word for those whose diet largely includes meat; that word is rare, however, and is usually used in informal and humorous ways, making it the type of fare not included in our dictionaries. Another fairly recent dietary word is flexitarian, a person who follows a mostly vegetarian diet but occasionally eats meat or fish.
Examples of vegetarian in a Sentence
Jennifer Billock, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2025
Nutrient requirements might vary depending on the mother’s health status (e.g., vegetarians may need additional choline and B12; people at risk of preeclampsia might need higher doses of calcium).
—Melissa Nieves, Verywell Health, 8 Jan. 2025
The New York Times News Service Syndicate, The Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2025
Where to go: Aroma What to order: Two vegetarian entrees are on the menu (and a three-course vegan option).
—Arika Herron, Axios, 27 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Vegetarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vegetarian. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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vegetarian
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vegetarian
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