aliment

American  

[al-uh-muhnt, al-uh-ment] / ˈæl ə mənt, ˈæl əˌmɛnt /

noun

1. that which nourishes; nutriment; food.

   Synonyms:

   sustenance, nourishment

2. that which sustains; means of support.

   Synonyms:

   sustenance

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verb (used with object)

1. to sustain; support.

aliment British  

noun

1. something that nourishes or sustains the body or mind

2. Scots law another term for alimony

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verb

1. obsolete (tr) to support or sustain

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• alimentally
  adverb
• alimental
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of aliment

1470–80; < Latin alimentum, equivalent to al ( ere ) to feed + -i- -i- + -mentum -ment

Explanation

Aliment is an old-fashioned word for "food" or "nourishment." If you go to a party expecting to be fed dinner, it'll be a big disappointment to realize there's no aliment at all, not even a bowl of chips! At first glance, aliment looks like ailment, but it's not a typo! This word, derived from the Latin alimentum, or "nourishment," was widely used in the 18th and 19th centuries. It's both a noun and a verb, so people could have said, "I haven't eaten since yesterday — I need aliment!" and also "Here, let this soup aliment you." Today, we're more likely to hear about the alimentary canal, our body's long digestive tube.

Example Sentences

The pope will then move to a chair to the side of the altar and preside from there, sitting most of the time because of knee aliment that impedes him from standing for too long.

From Reuters • Jan. 4, 2023

It was also linked to about 225 cases worldwide of a fatal human brain aliment known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

From Washington Post • Apr. 25, 2012

Food was food, "one universal aliment," a generalized fuel for the body.

From Time Magazine Archive

I. Hayward says that "it is an important part of that process by which aliment taken into the body is made to nourish it."

From Mind Amongst the Spindles by Various

It found its strongest aliment in the system of spoliation practiced by the Romans in Asia Minor.

From Principles of Political Economy, Vol. II by Roscher, Wilhelm