“A tomato is a vegetable, botanically speaking.”
Usage Entry 1223 / 1605 60-second read
Fruit vs. Vegetable
The seed-bearing part of a plant (botanically) versus any edible plant part (culinarily).
The comparisoni
“A tomato is a fruit botanically — it's the seed-bearing part. Culinarily, it's a vegetable. Both are true.”
The ruleii
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FRUIT = seeds. VEG = edible plant.
FRUIT, botanically, is the seed-bearing structure — tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins all qualify. VEGETABLE is a culinary term — any edible plant part (roots, leaves, stems) that's savoury. The two definitions overlap but use different criteria.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Botany = seeds. Cooking = savoury.