nourishment
Americannoun
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something that nourishes; food, nutriment, or sustenance.
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the act of nourishing.
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the state of being nourished.
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a process, system, method, etc., of providing or administering nourishment.
a treatise on the nourishment of international trade.
noun
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the act or state of nourishing
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a substance that nourishes; food; nutriment
Usage
What does nourishment mean? Nourishment is something that nourishes—does or provides what’s needed for someone or something to be healthy and to grow and develop. It can also refer to the act of nourishing or the state of being nourished. Nourish and nourishment are most commonly used in relation to food. Healthy food provides nourishment. Parents try to provide nourishment for their children by feeding them healthy foods. Sometimes, food is said to nourish more than the body, as in A warm, home-cooked meal is nourishment for the body and the spirit. However, nourishment can be used in many other contexts, including those that don’t involve food, as in educational nourishment. In all of these senses, nourishment is a somewhat formal and perhaps poetic word—it usually refers to something that serves to sustain rather than just feed. Example: As a mother, it’s my job to provide physical, mental, and emotional nourishment for my kids.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nourishment
1375–1425; late Middle English norysshement < Middle French norissement. See nourish, -ment
Explanation
Nourishment is what you get from the food you eat that helps you grow and stay healthy. There's more nourishment in a bowl of lentils than a bowl of Lucky Charms, no matter how tasty those marshmallows are. Every living thing needs certain nutrients in order to stay alive and in good health and to develop normally. The process of absorbing these nutrients from food and drink is nourishment. Humans and animals aren't the only organisms that need nourishment to thrive — your jade plant gets nourishment from the soil, absorbing necessary nutrients, and the sun, whose energy helps it create glucose. The Latin root of nourishment, nutrire, means "to feed, nurse, or support."
Vocabulary lists containing nourishment
Ollie in Between
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Vocabulary from Readings 4, Unit 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.
Nourishment, comfort, stability in the form of broth and steady hands.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026
Nourishment is provided by endosperm in the eggs.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Ahimsa and I are working at a cricket farm for our Nourishment requirement, the part of our Global Service exploring how food connects us to the earth.
From Slate • Feb. 26, 2022
Nourishment carries connotations, from infancy, that make stopping it feel different from rejecting medical machinery.
From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2015
Nourishment passes through them by a simple process of osmosis.
From Embryology The Beginnings of Life by Leighton, Gerald R.
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.
