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

Etymology

Origin of nutrient

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

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

Frain, a trained chef, is now working on “protein hero” projects like a buffalo mac and cheese with 40 grams of the nutrient.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Upping the nutrient is a frequent topic of conversation among users on social media, which Conagra has been closely monitoring.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

In other words, the health effects of a food may depend on how its components interact rather than simply on the amount of one nutrient it contains.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

That is why addressing nutrient pollution at source is the first point of action in tackling the problem, and why the big contributors – farming and water treatment – are the first port of call.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Because of bamboo’s low nutrient value, a panda must eat between twenty and forty pounds a day, even in winter, to gain the nutrition it needs.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

Huel, based in Hertfordshire, was founded by Julian Hearn in 2015 to provide nutritionally complete food products, aimed at reducing meal times and providing essential nutrients.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Nurse bees eat this material and process its nutrients into glandular secretions, including royal jelly, which are then fed to developing larvae.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

The government previously identified, external that "nutrients from outside the bay, run-off from streams that contain fertiliser and treated waste water from the water treatment works' all normally contribute to the growth of sea lettuce".

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Synovial fluid also supplies cartilage with key nutrients.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

“The ants were adding nutrients to the mud and hastening the reestablishment of less ad hoc food chains,” he wrote.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Related Words

• fiber
• food
• mineral
• vitamin