nutriment

[ noo-truh-muhnt, nyoo- ]

noun

1. any substance or matter that, taken into a living organism, serves to sustain it in its existence, promoting growth, replacing loss, and providing energy.
2. anything that nourishes; nourishment; food.

nutriment

/ ˌnjuːtrɪˈmɛntəl; ˈnjuːtrɪmənt /

noun

1. any material providing nourishment

Derived Forms

• nutrimental, adjective

Other Words From

• nu·tri·men·tal [noo-tr, uh, -, men, -tl, nyoo-], adjective
• non·nutri·ment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nutriment¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin nūtrīmentum nourishment, equivalent to nūtrī ( re ) to nourish, feed + -mentum -ment

Word History and Origins

Origin of nutriment¹

C16: from Latin nūtrīmentum, from nūtrīre to nourish

Example Sentences

She habitually ate chocolates for their sustaining quality; they contained much nutriment in small compass, she said.

From Literature

He could eat anything, no matter how loathsome or indigestible; and, once eaten, the juices of his stomach extracted the last least particle of nutriment; and his blood carried it to the farthest reaches of his body, building it into the toughest and stoutest of tissues.

From Literature

I would fain at the moment have become bee or lizard, that I might have found fitting nutriment, permanent shelter here.

From Literature

And what nutriment could be more equipped to help carry out this task than the versatile oat, the reliable and hardworking utility player of the human defence system?

From The Guardian

Cooked lettuce appears in medieval Platina as both physic and nutriment: “The divine Augustus, having fallen ill, was saved by eating lettuce. ... Put cooked lettuce, with the water squeezed out, in a dish when you have dressed it with salt and oil and vinegar, and serve it to your guests.”

From New York Times