nutriment

noun

nu·​tri·​ment ˈnü-trə-mənt 

ˈnyü-

: something that nourishes : nutrient

Fewer nutriments are lost in steaming than in boiling, and color retention is better.

—Cook's

… the only bird in eastern North America that uses sap as a significant source of nutriment.

—Kathy Piper

Examples of nutriment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When flights resumed, the grass, without the nutriment it was used to getting from the insects’ secretions, began to decay. —Fabio Morábito, New Yorker, 24 July 2025

By linking multiple trees, each fungus diversifies its source of nutriment and hedges against the demise of a single tree or species. —Rebecca Giggs, The Atlantic, 17 June 2021

The number and the quality of seeds determines the greater or lesser presence of insects, which, as is well known, are the principal nutriment of numerous bird populations. —Longreads, 23 Mar. 2021

The rich nutriments that are part of the marine ecosystem provide a host of habitats and opportunity for sea life. —Erika I. Ritchie, Orange County Register, 5 Apr. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin nutrimentum, from nutrire

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

nutriment

noun

nu·​tri·​ment ˈn(y)ü-trə-mənt 

: something that nourishes

Medical Definition

nutriment

noun

nu·​tri·​ment ˈn(y)ü-trə-mənt 

: something that nourishes or promotes growth, provides energy, repairs body tissues, and maintains life