C. A. Goodrich and Noah Porter (George Bell): "Vegetarian: One who holds that vegetables constitute the only proper food for man, and who lives solely upon them. Dunglison." The word is unknown to Heyse (Fremdwörterbuch. 14th edition. Hannover, 1859). The Fremdwörterbuch of Daniel Sanders (Leipzig, 1871) defines Vegetarianer "Wer nur von Vegetabilien lebt," he who lives on vegetables alone. This nur, "solely," is not foisted in elsewhere; e.g., Botanophag is "Pflanzenesser," "plant-eater;" Hippophag, "Pferdefleisch-esser," "horse-flesh-eater;" Carnivor, "fleishfressend," "flesh-eating;" Anthropophag, "kannibal."
The fairest interpretation is given under Galaktophag: "Milch-esser, Einer der sich hauptsächlich von Milch nährt, "milk-eater, one who principally feeds on milk.
Littré, Dictionnaire de la Langue Française. Supplément. Paris: Hachette, 1877:—
Végétarianisme, s.m. Alimentation par les végétaux.
Le vrai végétarianisme n'est pas l'état primitif de l'humanité. H. de parville. Journ. de Débats, 25 oct., 1877, Feuilleton, 1re page, 3e col.
Végétarien. s.m. Celui qui ne vit que de substances végétales.
Les mêmes aliments que nous, carnassiers, nous tirons de la viande, le végétarien, secte plus religieuse que scientifique, les tire de ses choux, L. Hermann, le Muscle, dans Biblioth. univ. el Rev. suisse, t. liii, juin, 1875, p. 215.
If we called ourselves botanophagists, or phytophagists, or cerealians, that would not of necessity imply the exclusive, but only the customary use of vegetable diet or of grain. Two little words continually skulk into the definition of our name—only and all. "Do you take tea?" "No." "Why, tea's a vegetable." So with tobacco and countless other noxious herbs. As Vegetarians, we are supposed to eat all vegetable products—hemlock and the rest. You have seen that, as Vegetarians, we are commanded by Sir Henry Thompson and lexicons to eat only vegetable products. Would you be surprised to learn that, as Vegetarians, looking at the word etymologically, not historically or in the light of our official definition, we are neither required to eat all vegetable products, nor vegetable products only, nor even vegetable products at all? Far from committing us to abstain from milk and eggs, the name derives its connexion with diet exclusively from the definition given to it by our Society.
When librarian means an "eater of books," antiquarian "an eater of antiques," even then vegetarian will not, cannot, mean
