Nutritive

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈnjuːtɹətɪv/

Definitions

1. Contributing essential elements for growth and health, this term refers to substances that foster body functions and well-being through their nutrient content
2. Describing properties that enhance health by delivering vital nutrients, it signifies anything that serves as a source of nourishment for living organisms
3. Serving to supply the necessary nutrients to support bodily growth and maintenance ; concerning the provision or intake of nourishment and sustenance

Etymology: The most striking thing about "nutritive" is how literal its origin is: the Latin verb "nūtrīre" meant "to suckle," so the word began with the image of a nursing mother rather than with food in general. Its ancestor, the Late Latin "nūtrītīvus," carried that sense of feeding and nurturing, and it passed into Middle French as "nutritif" before reaching English. The Latin verb itself is closely tied to the broader idea of nourishing and bringing up. From the same root come words such as "nutriment" and "nutrition," which spread the sense from the act of nursing an infant to the wider business of sustaining any living body. "Nutritive" kept the adjectival job of describing what provides that sustenance.

Synonyms: nutritional, beneficial, sustaining

Antonyms: non-nutritive, empty