[Vocabulary] Herbivore and carnivore are used for animals. Vegetarian is used for humans, what abo

[Aamir Tariq]

We use "herbivore" for an animal who feeds on grass and vegetation.
Whereas, we use "carnivore" for an animal who feeds on the flesh of other animals, or who eats meat.

Similarly, we use "vegetarian" for a person who eats vegetables.
What word do we use for people who eat meat?

(Sorry, there was not enough space in the question title field for me to complete the question.)

Regards
Aamir the Gloabal Citizen.

 

[Rover_KE]

People who eat meat also eat other food groups as well, so we're omnivores.

You have been told before that you're not expected to put your entire question in the title field.

A relevant, concise title for this thread would have been Herbivore/carnivore/vegetarian.

 

[Aamir Tariq]

Thanks Rover for the reminder I'll be careful next time.

Can we use carnivore for humans too? Because omnivore is used for both humans and animals who eat all kinds of food. Do we have such a word that is used only for humans who eat everything except for vegetables?

 

[Rover_KE]

I see you are also receiving answers from WordReference forums.

We recommend posting a question on one forum only initially. If you do not get a satisfactory answer from that forum and you feel that you have exhausted its possibilities, then of course trying a different forum might help. It is only courteous however, to tell the second forum that you have already asked the question on another forum and then give a precis of the answers you received there, along with an explanation of why you are now looking elsewhere.

(emsr2d2)

 

[emsr2d2]

Similarly, we use "vegetarian" for a person who eats meat.

No, we don't. We use "vegetarian" for a person who does not eat meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, gelatine or cochineal (or any other food which requires an animal to die in order to produce the food).

 

[Tarheel]

You can refer to people as carnivores, and I am pretty sure that some refer to themselves that way. However, nobody eats just meat or even primarily meat. Everybody eats fruits, vegetables, and grains. A "meat and potatoes" man eats meat AND potatoes. And apple pie.

 

[jutfrank]

We shouldn't mix up different types (registers) of words. The words carnivorous/herbivorous/omnivorous are academic type words. They would be used by biologists to describe not just animals but all organisms, e.g. a carnivorous plant.

In everyday language, we'd say we are a vegetarian or a meat-eater. Somebody who ate only meat wouldn't survive too long.

 

[Tdol]

Do we have such a word that is used only for humans who eat everything except for vegetables?

You might say that they had scurvy. ;-)

 

[Raymott]

You might say that they had scurvy. ;-)

Except that "not eating vegetables" doesn't rule out eating fruit - depending on how you define these terms. Let's not discuss tomatoes again!