alimentary
Americanadjective
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concerned with the function of nutrition; nutritive.
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pertaining to food.
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providing sustenance or maintenance.
adjective
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of or relating to nutrition
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providing sustenance or nourishment
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Scots law free from the claims of creditors
an alimentary trust
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of alimentary
From the Latin word alimentārius, dating back to 1605–15. See aliment, -ary
Explanation
Use the adjective alimentary to describe something that provides nourishment, like an alimentary meal of vegetable soup and whole-grain bread. Alimentary comes from the Latin word alimentum which means "nourishment." If something nourishes you, it helps you thrive and even grow stronger. So, alimentary foods are those that offer good nutrition to keep you going, like a bowl of oatmeal with walnuts and raisins. Not alimentary? A chocolate donut — though it may be delicious.
Vocabulary lists containing alimentary
Adam West (1928-2017) Tribute List
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On the Origin of Species
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Let’s not overlook how long it takes for a federal lawsuit to make its way through the judicial alimentary canal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2025
Animals belonging to superphylum Lophotrochozoa are protostomes, in which the blastopore, or the point of involution of the ectoderm or outer germ layer, becomes the mouth opening to the alimentary canal.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
While indigestible polysaccharides do not provide any nutritional value, they do provide dietary fiber, which helps propel food through the alimentary canal.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Notice that the epithelium is in direct contact with the lumen, the space inside the alimentary canal.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Food in the alimentary canal is, strictly speaking, outside the confines of the body; as much so as the fly grasped in the leaves of the insectivorous Dionea is outside of the plant itself.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 8 "Hudson River" to "Hurstmonceaux" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
