aliment

noun

al·i·ment | \ ˈa-lə-mənt

Definition of aliment

(Entry 1 of 2)

: food, nutriment also : sustenance there was nothing there of conversational aliment — Kingsley Amis

aliment

verb

al·i·ment | \ -ˌment

alimented; alimenting; aliments

Definition of aliment (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to give aliment to : nourish, sustain

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Did You Know?

Noun

These days you're most likely to encounter "aliment" as a typo for "ailment," but the word was less of a rarity in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. And the word's history goes back even further than that. It dates to the 15th century and comes from Latin alere, meaning "to nourish," by way of "alimentum." Although "aliment" is uncommon in today's English, you may recognize it in the somewhat technical term "alimentary canal"-the name for the long tube in the body through which food passes after it is eaten. "Aliment" also functions as a verb meaning "to give aliment to," or "to nourish or sustain."