Prebiotic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /pɹiːbaɪˈɒtɪk/

Definitions

1. Pertaining to compounds or ingredients that encourage the growth of helpful microorganisms in the digestive system
2. Describing materials that serve to enhance populations of beneficial bacteria within the intestines
3. Involving elements that aid in the nourishment and proliferation of good microbes in the gut environment

Etymology: "Prebiotic" is a plain modern compound: the prefix "pre-", meaning "before" or "in front of," joined to "biotic," from Greek "biotikos," relating to life, from "bios," life. Together they describe something that comes before, or prepares the ground for, living organisms or their activity. The sense that matters today is nutritional. Prebiotics are substances, typically certain dietary fibres, that are not digested by the human gut but serve as food for beneficial microbes already living there, so they support those bacteria rather than being absorbed by the body. That makes the word a neat reversal: its prefix points to something that comes before life, yet here it describes something that feeds life already present.

Synonyms: probiotic, nutritional, healthful, beneficial, supportive