comestible

American  

[kuh-mes-tuh-buhl] / kəˈmɛs tə bəl /

adjective

1. edible; eatable.

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noun

1. Usually comestibles. articles of food; edibles.

   The table was spread with all kinds of comestibles.

comestible British  

/ kəˈmɛstɪbəl /

noun

1. (usually plural) food

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adjective

1. a rare word for edible

Etymology

Origin of comestible

1475–85; < Late Latin comēstibilis, equivalent to Latin comēst ( us ), past participle of comedere to eat up ( see comedo; -ēstus for -ēs ( s ) us by analogy with gestus, ūstus, etc.; see combust) + -ibilis -ible; see eat

Explanation

Anything that you could possibly use for food is a comestible, a synonym of "edible." It can be used as a noun ("We shopped for comestibles") or an adjective ("It looked awful, but was comestible"). The word comestible, a rather formal-sounding word for food, has its roots in the Latin word comedere, which means "to eat up." Since comestible shares a background with the word consume, you will hopefully remember its meaning. Comestible was first recorded in the 15th century, and it bounced around as an adjective before becoming a noun in the 19th century.

Example Sentences

Pizza then exploded in popularity after the Second World War when returning servicemen brought home a seemingly universal passion for the tasty comestible.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

But what happens when those scouts find a comestible motherlode?

From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2024

She concocted an ideal Sunday itinerary in which her cravings would guide her on a crosstown comestible spree.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2024

She'll often riff on nostalgic flavors, like the Hawaiian Hurricane Popcorn she grew up eating, toying with the idea that the butter mochi itself is a comestible link to childhood comfort.

From Salon • Dec. 6, 2021

Hence the missionary as a comestible is more highly esteemed by the natives than the missionary as a reformer.

From Phyllis of Philistia by Moore, Frank Frankfort