The word vegan was coined in 1944 to split from vegetarian
Veganism refuses animal products in diet and, for many, in clothing and other uses, rejecting animals as commodities. People avoided animal foods long before the label. Donald and Dorothy Watson coined vegan in 1944 to mark a stricter path than lacto-ovo vegetarianism.
A vegan abstains from animal-source foods and often from animal products generally, guided by a philosophy that denies animals' commodity status. Ethical veganism aims to refuse animal use in farming, food, fashion, entertainment, and testing whenever practicable—covering meat, fish, eggs, honey, dairy, leather, wool, silk, and more. Dietary practice is the most visible part, yet definitions disagree about how far the ethic must reach beyond the plate.
The Watsons introduced the term in 1944 precisely to distinguish their stance from vegetarians who still consumed dairy or eggs. Since 1988 the UK Vegan Society has framed veganism as a philosophy and way of living that tries, as far as possible and practicable, to shut out animal exploitation for meals, garments, or any other aim, while backing alternatives that serve people, animals, and ecosystems. A 2021 study found that wording the most popular among surveyed vegans, even though many still meet diet-only labels such as strict vegetarianism in casual speech.
Regulators have followed with food labeling rules. Germany's consumer protection ministry approved a vegan food definition on 22 April 2016, and in 2021 the International Organization for Standardization published ISO 23662 on technical criteria for foods suited to vegetarians or vegans. The modern word is young; the refusal is ancient. What changed is a named movement that treats plates, wardrobes, and laboratories as one ethical field rather than separate habits.
Source: Veganism
