what's the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?

Question

is it the amount of seeds? or the amount of water?

Answer 1

Here's a straightforward answer from a UK science site:

"Fruits are or contain seeds, they develop from the ovaries. Nuts,
olives, tomatoes, peas and runner beans are all examples of fruits, as
well as the obvious ones like apples, oranges and grapes.

Vegetables
are non-seed containing plant matter. They include leaves, such as
cabbage, lettuce or watercress; roots, e.g. carrots or beetroot;
bulbs, like onions, and tubers such as potatoes."

"What is the difference between fruits and vegetables?"
ScienceNet
http://www.sciencenet.org.uk/database/Biology/9608/b00616d.html

And here's a question-and-answer web page with a similar description
of the difference:

"A fruit is the matured ovary of a flower, containing the seed. ...
A vegetable is considered to be edible roots, tubers, stems, leaves,
fruits, seeds, flower clusters, and other softer plant parts."

This page also explains that a grain is a fruit, while nuts are a more
complicated matter.

"What's the difference between fruits and vegetables?", SDSTAFF Terey
Straight Dope Science Advisory Board
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mveggie.html

For further information, you can consult these web pages from Cornell
University:

Q: What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable (or Is a
tomato a fruit or vegetable)?"
Cornell University: Department of Horticulture
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/extension/question.html#1

"The difference between fuits and vegetables" [sic]
Cornell University: Division of Nutritional Sciences: Nutriquest
http://www.nutrition.cornell.edu/nutriquest/070599/fruitveg.html

Answer 2

Its the part of the plant. Vegetables are leave or root of plants, Fruits are the seed producing parts of plants. Cucumbers and tomatoes are actually fruits not veggies.

Answer 3

A fruit has seeds and tries to convince others that being a fruit is better.

A vegetable just lays there and does nothing.

Answer 4

The amount of seeds

Answer 5

Basically (but there are exceptions) fruits have seeds or pits, vegetables do not.

Answer 6

Fruits contain a sunstance called fructose. Vegetables dont!

Answer 7

Vegitable means to come from the ground....as far as the differance fruits grow on trees so they produce sugars and vegitables don't have as much as fruits.

Answer 8

I would think scientists have a list of traits they use to catorgorize them like texture, vitamin content, ect.....Oh yeah I heard once when I was little that it's a fruit if it grows above ground and a veggie if it grows under ground.????

Answer 9

Both are good for you, each fruit/vegetable has different vitamins. Therefore as more variety, as better. Vegetables have generally less sugar than fruits.

Answer 10

a gay person is often referred to as a fruit, a vegetable are good to eat..