Nutrition
/njuːˈtrɪʃən/noun
The process of taking in and using food to support growth and health.
Did you know?Nutrition comes from Latin *nutrire*, meaning “to feed, suckle, rear,” the same root behind words for nurturing, so the idea of “nutrition” was originally about raising life, not counting calories.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*snew-
“to suck, nurse”
Latin
Latin
nutrire
“to feed, nourish, suckle, rear”
Latin
Latin
nutritionem
“nourishment, rearing, feeding”
Middle French
Old French
nutrition
“nourishment, feeding”
Late Middle English
English
nutrition
“nourishment; the action of nourishing”
Modern English
English
nutrition
“the process of taking in and using food for health and growth”