Etymologically
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nutritio

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [nuːˈtriː.ti.oː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [nuˈtrit.t͡si.o][1]

Forms

nūtrītiō f (genitive nūtrītiōnis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin nūtriō (“to suckle, nourish”) + -tiō, a noun of action.[1][2][3] It came into English, partly through Old French, as nutrition.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler records it first from Augustine (354–430 AD),[5] and Georges and Gaffiot cite it from Priscian's Partitiones on the verses of the Aeneid for the act of feeding or nourishing.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

It is a Late Latin word,[6] meaning the act of suckling or nourishing,[2][5] and Köbler also records it in the Visigothic law code.[5][7] In medieval scholastic and medical writing it named nutrition, the taking in of nourishment by the body, and it was used figuratively of fostering or maintaining something, such as the religious life or unity between parties.[6] Polish medieval Latin also used it for upbringing.[8]

English borrowed it in the 16th century as nutrition.[4]

Timeline

  • 354–430 AD – Augustine has the word.[5]
  • 6th century AD – Priscian uses it for the act of feeding.[2][3][5]
  • before 1410 – An Oxford formulary uses it figuratively of the nurture that gives monastic religion its lustre.[6]
  • 1550s – English borrows it as nutrition.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of suckling or nourishing.[2][3][5]
  2. (Medieval Latin) Nutrition, nourishment of the body.[6]
  3. (Medieval Latin, figurative) Fostering, maintenance.[6][8]
  4. (Medieval Latin) Upbringing.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  3. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c d e Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Liber exquisiti xenii: Lexikon frühmittelalterlicher Rechtswörter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  8. ^ a b c Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl