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.

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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

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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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonnutrient
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nutrients
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of nutrient

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

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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

Powerful laser microscopy revealed the mechanism: after a day or two of contact, the corals' tissues began fusing, creating a "nutrient highway" between the pair.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Their findings suggest that phosphorus, a nutrient essential for life, played a central role in sustaining the oxygen levels that would eventually help make more complex organisms possible.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

The proposal targets a market currently dominated by Canada, the world’s largest producer of potash, a vital fertilizer component and an essential plant nutrient with no substitute in global food production.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

This sets off a chemical reaction freeing phosphorus, a primary nutrient for the algae, from the lake floor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

But if the body doesn’t need a nutrient at the time that it is taken in, it won’t absorb it.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Even so, not all nutrients are recovered, and some of them fall along with the leaves to enrich the soil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

To recoup some of their considerable investment, plants break down chlorophyll, then draw its chemical components and other nutrients through the stem and into the trunk and roots for later reuse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Humus is the upper layer of soil rich in decomposing organic matter, where microorganisms play a major role in recycling nutrients.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

It is important that teenage girls, especially, get enough iron and calcium, so Ludlam-Raine says not to become overly focused on protein at the expense of other nutrients.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

The procedure wasn't effective because the rectum and large intestine absorbed few nutrients from the mixture, not enough to sustain a man.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

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Related Words

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