The Origins of the Word "Vegan"

Have you ever wondered how (and when) the word “vegan” came into existence?

With veganism growing in popularity these days, some people might think that veganism is a new invention, but in fact, vegetarianism has been practiced for thousands of years; although we don’t know how many vegetarians in the ancient times were vegans, we know for sure that veganism has been practiced since at least the beginning of the 1800’s. The word “vegan” first appeared in 1944, upon the founding of the Vegan Society in the United Kingdom.

The word “vegetarian” (which I will discuss in another post) goes back to around the 1830’s. At this time in Britain, “vegetarian” meant essentially what we mean when we say “vegan” today—that is, one who abstains from animal flesh, milk, eggs, and all other animal products.

Upon the founding of the Vegetarian Society in Great Britain in 1847, however, the Vegetarian Society, in an effort to accommodate those of their members who still consumed dairy and eggs, decided that a vegetarian diet would be defined as a diet that excluded meat, but included milk and eggs. This became a point of controversy within the Vegetarian Society, especially in the first half of the 1900’s.¹ Eventually a group of “non-dairy vegetarians” suggested that a section of the Vegetarian Society’s journal be devoted to a form of vegetarianism that excludes all animal products. However, the committee of the Vegetarian Society “decided that the full energies of the Society must continue to be applied to the task of abolishing flesh-eating, and that any such Group [of non-dairy vegetarians] would, therefore, be freer to act as an independent body.”²

And so, in November 1944, such a group was formed, although it didn’t have a name in the beginning. The first issue of The Vegan News (The Vegan Society’s original newsletter) was single-handedly written and produced by Donald Watson, a teacher of woodwork and the secretary of a local vegetarian society. On the second page of the newsletter, he wrote,

“WANTED—A NAME.

We should all consider carefully what our Group, and our magazine, and ourselves, shall be called. “Non-dairy” has become established as a generally understood colloquialism, but like “non-lacto” it is too negative. Moreover it does not imply that we are opposed to the use of eggs as food. We need a name that suggests what we do eat. and if possible one that conveys the idea that even with all animal foods taboo, Nature still offers us a bewildering assortment from which to choose. “Vegetarian” and “Fruitarian” are already associated with societies that allow the “fruits” (!) of cows and fowls, therefore it seems we must make a new and appropriate word. As this first issue of our periodical had to be named, I have used the title “The Vegan News”. Should we adopt this, our diet will soon become known as a VEGAN diet, and we should aspire to the rank of VEGANS. Member’s suggestions will be welcomed. The virtue of having a short title is best known to those of us who, as secretaries of vegetarian societies have to type or write the word vegetarian thousands of times a year!”²

In the second issue of The Vegan News, Watson noted that the word “Allvega” had been suggested by members Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Henderson (and they had suggested “Allvegan” as the title of the magazine). “It was from this that the word Vegan was taken,” Watson wrote, “and recently Mr and Mrs Henderson have written stating that they prefer the shorter version.”

The word “vega” had, indeed, already been used by vegetarians prior to 1944. In a history of the Vegan Society written in 2014, it is suggested that the Hendersons’ suggestion was inspired by a contemporary vegetarian restaurant in London that was called the Vega. (The original Vega restaurant had been in Cologne, Germany. After the owners had to flee from Germany, they opened up their new restaurant in London.)¹

Despite Watson’s preference for the word “vegan”, No. 2 of The Vegan News still included other ideas from those who had written in with their own suggestions. One person suggested that the society call itself “the Total Vegetarian Group (T.V.G.)”; another said that the magazine could be called “The True Vegetarian”. For the word that the non-dairy vegetarians would use to refer to themselves, the following suggestions were made: Neo-vegetarians, Dairybans, Vitans, Benevores, Sanivores, Beaumangeurs, or Bellevores, although these suggestions do not appear to have been taken very seriously.

In an interview in 2004, Donald Watson said, “I settled for my own word, "vegan", containing the first three and last two letters of "vegetarian" -- "the beginning and end of vegetarian." The word was accepted by the Oxford English Dictionary and no one has tried to improve it.”⁴

It is also the second issue of The Vegan News that Watson clarified how the word vegan is pronounced: “Veegan, not Veejan.”

By the time No. 3 of The Vegan News was published, the word “vegan” had truly been adopted, as evidenced by the use of the name, “The Vegan Society”, at the top of the front page; and by the following sentences, also found on the front page:

“VEGANISM          is the practice of living on fruits, nuts, vegetables, grains, and other wholesome non-animal products.

VEGANISM           excludes as human food: flesh, fish, fowl, eggs, honey; and animals’ milk, butter, and cheese.

VEGANISM           aims at encouraging the manufacture and use of alternatives to animal products.^”5

Later, the definition of veganism would be further refined. The most current definition of Veganism—as defined by the Vegan Society—was agreed upon in 1979. According to this definition, veganism is

"A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."

Nowadays, in 2017, millions of people around the world refer to themselves as vegans. May this just and compassionate way of life continue to spread around the world!

Sources:

1. The Vegan Society, Ripened by Human Determination, 2014.

2. The Vegan News, Number 1.

3. The Vegan News, Number 2.

4. Vegetarians in Paradise, “24 Carrot Award”. 11 August 2004. http://www.vegparadise.com/24carrot610.html

5. The Vegan News, Number 3.

6. The Vegan Society, “Definition of veganism.” https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism