Nutriment
/ˈnjuː.trɪ.mənt/noun
Food or nourishment needed to sustain life or growth.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin nutrīmentum, a noun built on nutrīre, meaning “to feed” or “to suckle,” so its oldest sense is deeply tied to maternal sustenance and growth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sneu-
“to suckle, nurse”
Latin
Latin
nūtrīre
“to feed, nourish, bring up”
Latin
Latin
nūtrīmentum
“nourishment, sustenance”
Middle English
English
nutriment
“food; nourishment”
Modern English
English
nutriment
“food or nourishment needed to sustain life or growth”
Explore more surprising origins