vegetative /vej″ətā′tiv, vej″ətətiv′/ [L, vegetare] , 1. pertaining to nutrition and growth. 2. pertaining to the plant kingdom. 3. denoting involuntary function, as produced by the parasympathetic nervous system. 4. resting, not active; denoting the stage of the cell cycle in which the cell is not replicating. 5. leading a secluded, dull existence without social or intellectual activity; sluggish; lacking animation. 6. (in psychiatry) emotionally withdrawn and passive, as may occur in schizophrenia and depression or in unipolar depression in severe cases.
