According to the Vegan Society:

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 animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.

This is also the definition we use in The Vegan Dictionary, although other definitions exist.

From The Vegan Dictionary: “Plant-based” refers to  diet or lifestyle centered around consuming foods derived primarily from plants, including vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, but not necessarily exclusively. It emphasises whole, minimally processed plant foods while minimising or excluding animal products. 

Someone with a plant-based lifestyle may still occasionally consume meat or dairy products, but their diet is predominantly derived from plants. This approach is associated with various health benefits and environmental sustainability. 
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"Plant-based" is often contrasted against "veganism" as the former is a dietary choice while the latter is an ethical philosophy and lifestyle that naturally leads to a plant-based lifestyle.

The Vegan Dictionary is an all-in-one reference guide to the language of veganism, written and designed by vegan activists. It aims to bring together every term that any vegan or plant-curious person could ever need to use in a complex conversation regarding veganism, from ethics and environmental science to nutrition, history, and popular culture. 

The Vegan Dictionary exists because there was no single resource that outlined and concisely alphabetised everything that any new (or old!) vegan might need to know.

The creators of The Vegan Dictionary realised that vegans often speak in their own dialect of sorts. While non-vegan people often call flesh “meat”, animals “it”, companion animals “pets”, and cows, chickens, pigs and others “farm animals” (as opposed to “farmed animals”), vegans adopt either subtly different or entirely different terminology.

‍The Vegan Dictionary was created to help bridge this gap, to educate people about veganism, and to shine a light on the distinctive vegan sub-culture that has emerged in recent decades. 

Yes! Please do. We’d love you to email the creator at rory@thisisnotagame.co with new suggestions, with the subject line “Vegan Dictionary Suggestion”.

We think so, but because we are a grassroots team ourselves, we may have made some mistakes or oversights in the definitions we have provided.

If this is the case, please email the Dictionary's editor at rory@thisisnotagame.co with new suggestions, with the subject line “Vegan Dictionary Suggestion”. We will endeavour to update this in future editions.

No, quite the opposite. Most of The Vegan Dictionary is not about food at all. Most of it is about science, ethics, history, culture, and more. We do, of course, have entries on food, ingredients, nutrition, and health, but veganism at its core is an ethical philosophy, and not a diet. 

Not yet, but we’re working on making The Vegan Dictionary into an eBook format, too! Hang tight.

As often as we can. It usually won’t be worth creating an entire new edition because of one or two typos (although we’re pretty sure we caught them all…), but we will amass community feedback and suggestions as time goes on and then launch an updated edition of The Vegan Dictionary with all the suggestions acted upon when the time is right.

The Vegan Dictionary was created by Rory Cockshaw, a vegan activist, entrepreneur, and founder of the world’s only vegan tabletop games brand This Is Not A Game (https://thisisnotagame.co). It was co-authored by his sister, Anwen Cockshaw, a vegan university student whom Rory employed as a Research Assistant. It was designed by vegan designer Ákos Zsiga (https://akosdesign.com).

Yes, email us in your query to rory@thisisnotagame.co. Alternatively, sign up to challenge22.com for a free and easy introduction to veganism and plant-based living.

Absolutely. We tried hard to make The Vegan Dictionary both an educational volume as well as a beautifully-designed coffee table book that can be picked up, flicked through, and casually enjoyed. The Vegan Dictionary is a great gift for vegans - and for non-vegans, for that matter!