Vegetality

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state or quality of resembling or characteristic of plants, including aspects like growth and vitality
2. A condition marked by traits typical of vegetation, such as greenery and life processes
3. An attribute describing the plantlike nature or qualities of something living or growing

Etymology: "Vegetality" is a straightforward formation: it takes the adjective "vegetal", meaning of or relating to plants, and adds the suffix "-ity", which turns an adjective into a noun naming a quality or state. So the word means, literally, the quality of being vegetal. The adjective "vegetal" itself descends from "vegetare", a Latin verb meaning to enliven or grow, which gave English "vegetate" and "vegetable" as well. The original idea is of something that grows and thrives, so the plant sense and the sense of vital life are close relatives in the word's family. The suffix "-ity" comes from Latin "-itas" through Old French, and it is one of the most productive ways English builds abstract nouns from adjectives, as in "sanity" or "rapidity". Because "vegetality" follows that pattern so directly, its meaning can be read straight from its parts.