Nutrient

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈnjuː.tɹi.ənt/

Definitions

1. A chemical compound or element that supports life by promoting growth, health, and metabolic functions in both flora and fauna
2. A vital substance that contributes to sustaining life, facilitating development, and ensuring the proper functioning of biological systems
3. A component necessary for sustaining life that enhances growth, supports health, and aids in the proper operation of biological processes in organisms

Etymology: The Latin verb "nūtriō" meant "to suckle, nourish, foster," and its present participle "nūtriēns" gave English a word for something that feeds. The noun was borrowed directly from that participle, so "nutrient" carries the sense of an agent doing the nourishing rather than the act itself. The image at its heart is one of care: the word begins with the feeding of infants and young creatures. Over time the meaning widened from the nourishing of a living body to the substances that do the nourishing. In modern use the word names the vitamins, minerals, proteins and other components that cells and organisms must take in to survive, grow and function, and it is used in fields from human nutrition to soil science and plant biology.

Synonyms: nourishment, nutriment, food, sustenance, vitamin

Antonyms: toxin, poison