nutrient

American  

[noo-tree-uhnt, nyoo-] / ˈnu tri ənt, ˈnju- /

adjective

1. nourishing; providing nourishment or nutriment.

2. containing or conveying nutriment, as solutions or vessels of the body.

---

noun

• nutrients
  plural

1. a nutrient substance.

nutrient British  

/ ˈnjuːtrɪənt /

noun

1. any of the mineral substances that are absorbed by the roots of plants for nourishment

2. any substance that nourishes an organism

---

adjective

1. providing or contributing to nourishment

   a nutrient solution

nutrient Scientific  

/ no̅o̅′trē-ənt /

1. A substance that provides nourishment for growth or metabolism. Plants absorb nutrients mainly from the soil in the form of minerals and other inorganic compounds, and animals obtain nutrients from ingested foods.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonnutrient
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nutrients
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nutrient

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin nūtrient-, stem of nūtriēns “feeding,” present participle of nūtrīre “to feed”; see nourish

Explanation

A nutrient is anything that nourishes a living being. We humans get our nutrients from what we eat, plants get theirs from the soil. While the best nutrients are natural, we can also get them from vitamins in a bottle. The words nutrient and nourish both come from the Latin word nūtrīre, "to feed, nurse, support, preserve." Although usually used as a noun, the word nutrient started out in 1650 as an adjective meaning "providing nourishment." It's important to your health to get the proper nutrients, so the food pyramid was developed by nutritionists to show you the balance of foods you need each day.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nutrient nutrients

In other words, the health effects of a food may depend on how its components interact rather than simply on the amount of one nutrient it contains.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

This mechanism offers a possible explanation for how a common nutrient can alter the physical behavior of tumor cells and increase their ability to escape.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

"I don't know of anything like that anywhere in the world where 700 farms have had a farmgate nutrient footprint and they're discussing with every farmer what they can do about it," said Cooper.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

The group has recently worked out the nutrient footprint of each farm - closely scrutinising use of bought-in feed and fertiliser.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Because of bamboo’s low nutrient value, a panda must eat between twenty and forty pounds a day, even in winter, to gain the nutrition it needs.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

The lower concentration can cause nutrient deficiency, coupled with the reduced ability of the baby's body to absorb the nutrients, NCT said.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Infant formula is designed to provide the correct balance of nutrients for babies when mothers cannot or choose not to breastfeed, and adding extra water alters that balance.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

"We think Prifs represent an emerging class of dietary nutrients that shape the composition of the gut microbiome and could have a far-reaching influence on metabolic health," said AbuSalim.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

That may help explain why the effects of eating dairy can differ from what would be predicted by looking at saturated fat or other individual nutrients in isolation.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

The koala gets all the nutrients it needs from eucalyptus leaves.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• fiber
• food
• mineral
• vitamin