Nutrient

//ˈnuː.tɹi.ənt// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A source of nourishment, such as food, that can be metabolized by an organism to give energy and build tissue.

    "Even second-generation biofuels, made from crop wastes or wood, are an environmental disaster, either extending the cultivated area or removing the straw and stovers which protect the soil from erosion and keep carbon and nutrients in the ground."

  2. 2
    any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue wordnet
  3. 3
    any substance (such as a chemical element or inorganic compound) that can be taken in by a green plant and used in organic synthesis wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Providing nourishment.
Adjective
  1. 1
    of or providing nourishment wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
alimentalalimentaryalimentaryfoodfoodnourishing

Example

More examples

"At first glance the sand seems barren and unproductive. After a while, if you are careful not to kick up sand, you might see tiny benthic communities of tube-building worms come alive as they sweep the passing nutrient rich waters with tentacles to capture food."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin nūtriēns, present participle of nūtriō (“I suckle, nourish, foster”).

Related phrases

essential nutrientnutrient neutralitygood ingredientsin food

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.