nutrient

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   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
   adj

   of or providing nourishment

3. 3
   noun

   any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue

4. 4
   noun

   any substance (such as a chemical element or inorganic compound) that can be taken in by a green plant and used in organic synthesis

5. 5
   adj

   Providing nourishment.

Etymology

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