What is the technical, or botanical if you prefer, difference between a vegetable and a fruit?

Mother Goose

A fruit is actually the ripened ovary or ovaries of a seed-bearing plant, not the seed itself. A vegetable, however, can be any part of a plant that is edible (including seeds, roots, stems, leaves, bulbs, tubers, etc.) and is not limited to seed-bearing plants. The scientific definition of a fruit is quite precise. However, the definition of a vegetable is not so precise. Tomatoes are usually thought of as vegetables, but they are in fact fruits. Apr 06 02, 8:34 AM

Brainy Blonde

A fruit is actually the sweet, ripened ovary or ovaries of a seed-bearing plant. A vegetable, in contrast, is an herbaceous plant cultivated for an edible part (seeds, roots, stems, leaves, bulbs, tubers, or non-sweet fruits). So, to be really nitpicky, a fruit could be a vegetable, but a vegetable could not be a fruit. http://www.dictionary.com/doctor/faq/v/vegetable-fruit.html Q: What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable (or is a tomato a fruit or vegetable)? http://www.hort.cornell.edu/extension/question.html#1 Fruit has two meanings-one popular and one scientific. http://www.bartleby.com/64/C004/028.html Apr 07 02, 12:54 AM