nutrient
UK[ˈnjuːtriənt]US[ˈnuːtriənt]
n
a substance that provides nourishment essential for the growth and maintenance of life.
adj
providing or conveying nourishment.
Morpheme Breakdown
nutri
ent
nutri
nourish
ent
adjective/agent suffix
Etymology
the word 'nutrient' originates from the latin verb nutrire, meaning 'to nourish or feed'. this verb itself is believed to derive from the proto-indo-european root (s)na-, related to flowing and swimming, which extended metaphorically to the concept of suckling. the latin present participle suffix -entem was added to form nutrient-, the stem of the present participle, meaning 'nourishing'. in english, this participle was adopted first as an adjective describing something that nourishes, and later as a noun denoting the nourishing substance itself, completing the journey from an ancient concept of flow and sustenance to a precise scientific term for a life-sustaining component.
Analysis
Structure: nutri (nourish) + ent (adjective/agent suffix)
nutri (from latin nutrire, meaning 'to nourish, suckle, feed'); ent (from latin present participle suffix -entem, forming adjectives meaning 'being, doing, or causing' an action, later also used to form agent nouns).
Examples
plants absorb essential nutrients from the soil through their roots.
this drink is fortified with vitamins and other key nutrients.
the nutrient-rich broth helped the patient recover more quickly.