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Origin and history of nourishment

nourishment(n.)

early 15c., norishement, "food, sustenance, that which, taken into the system, tends to nourish," from Old French norissement "food, nourishment," from norrir (see nourish). From c. 1300 as "fostering, upbringing; act of nourishing or state of being nourished." Figurative sense of "that which promotes growth or development of any kind" is by 1570s.

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to nourishment

nourish(v.)

c. 1300, norishen, "to supply with food and drink, feed; to bring up, nurture, promote the growth or development of" (a child, a young animal, a vice, a feeling, etc.), from Old French norriss-, stem of norrir "raise, bring up, nurture, foster; maintain, provide for" (12c., Modern French nourrir), from Latin nutrire "to feed, nurse, foster, support, preserve," from *nutri (older form of nutrix "nurse"), literally "she who gives suck," from PIE *nu-tri-, suffixed form (with feminine agent suffix) of *(s)nau- "to swim, flow, let flow," hence "to suckle," extended form of root *sna- "to swim." Related: Nourished; nourishing.

malnourishment(n.)

"malnutrition," 1899, see mal- + nourishment.

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    nutrition
    1550s, "act or process by which organisms absorb their proper food into their systems and build it into living tissue," from Old French nutrition (14c.) and directly from Latin nutritionem (nominative nutritio) "a nourishing," noun of action from past-participle stem of nutrire "
    sustenance
    c. 1300, sustenaunce, "that which is essential to sustain life; food, victuals, provisions," also "means of living, income, wealth," from Anglo-French sustenance, sustenaunce, Old French sostenance "support, aid" (Modern French soutenance), from Late Latin sustinentia "endurance,
    victuals
    c. 1300, vitaylle (singular), from Anglo-French and Old French vitaille "food, nourishment, provisions," from Late Latin victualia "provisions," noun use of plural of victualis "of nourishment," from victus "livelihood, food, sustenance, that which sustains life," from past parti
    alimony
    1650s, "nourishment," also "allowance to a wife from a husband's estate, or in certain cases of separation," from Latin alimonia..."food, support, nourishment, sustenance," from alere "to nourish, rear, support, maintain" (from PIE root *al- (2) "to grow...
    nutritious
    "containing or contributing nourishment," 1660s, from Latin nutricius "that which nourishes, nurses," from nutrix (genitive...
    retentive
    late 14c., retentif, "able to hold or keep" (food, nourishment), from Old French retentif, from Medieval Latin retentivus...
    food
    Middle English foode, fode, from Old English foda "food, nourishment; fuel," also figurative, from Proto-Germanic *fodon...
    attention
    late 14c., attencioun, "a giving heed, active direction of the mind upon some object or topic," from Old French attencion and directly from Latin attentionem (nominative attentio) "attention, attentiveness," noun of action from past-participle stem of attendere "give heed to," li
    vitamin
    1920, originally vitamine (1912) coined by Polish biochemist Casimir Funk (1884-1967), from Latin vita "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live") + amine, because they were thought to contain amino acids. The terminal -e formally was stripped off when scientists learned the true nat
    mince
    late 14c., mincen, "to chop (meat, herbs, onions, etc.) in little pieces," from Old French mincier "make into small pieces," from Vulgar Latin *minutiare "make small," from Late Latin minutiæ "small bits," from Latin minutus "small" (from PIE root *mei- (2) "small"). From 1540s i

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