nutritive

American  

[noo-tri-tiv, nyoo-] / ˈnu trɪ tɪv, ˈnyu- /

adjective

1. serving to nourish; providing nutriment; nutritious.

2. of, relating to, or concerned with nutrition.

   foods with high nutritive value.

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noun

1. an item of nourishing food.

   a breakfast of cereals, fruits, and other nutritives.

nutritive British  

/ ˈnjuːtrɪtɪv /

adjective

1. providing nourishment

2. of, concerning, or promoting nutrition

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noun

1. a nutritious food

Other Word Forms

• hypernutritive adjective
• nonnutritive adjective
• nonnutritively adverb
• nonnutritiveness noun
• nutritively adverb
• nutritiveness noun
• unnutritive adjective

Etymology

Origin of nutritive

1350–1400; < Medieval Latin nūtrītīvus, equivalent to nūtrīt- ( nutrition ) + -īvus -ive; replacing Middle English nutritif < Middle French < Medieval Latin as above

Example Sentences

Once milk flows, the baby will switch to a different, nutritive suck pattern.

From Washington Post • Jan. 28, 2023

Fall is a great time to add a percolating layer of compost as a nutritive mulch on new or existing beds, or even on a lawn.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2022

Small-scale, ecofriendly cultivation methods using indigenous knowledge and inputs and cutting-edge science increase the variety, nutritive value and quantity of foods produced on farms while stabilizing rural economies, promoting gender equity and protecting biodiversity.

From Scientific American • Jul. 6, 2021

It’s not nutritive; the physiological ramifications are dire and well documented.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 10, 2018

He knew, as do many Gethenians, the caloric and nutritive value of each food; he knew his own requirements under various conditions, and how to estimate mine pretty closely.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin