English
nourishment
Nourishment comes from Old French norissement, from norrir ‘to feed’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *snew-tr-ih₂ ‘female nurser’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*snew-tr-ih₂‘female nurser’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*snoutrjōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnutrioas nūtrīre‘to feed’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400norrir‘to feed’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400norissement
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500norisshement‘Sustenance, nourishment’
- Englishearliest quotation 1929nourishment
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*snew-tr-ih₂‘female nurser’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*snoutrjōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnutrioas nūtrīre‘to feed’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400norrir‘to feed’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400norissement
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500norisshement‘Sustenance, nourishment’
- Englishearliest quotation 1929nourishment
Earliest quotation: 1929, Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, Jewish Music: Its Historical Development: “The Oriental Synagogue, continuing to draw musical nourishment from…”
Formed from nourish + -ment
Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₂- ‘to swim’
…
Proto-Italic *snoutrjō
Latin nutriō ‘to suckle, feed, foster, nourish, cherish,…’
Old French nouriss-
Middle English norischen ‘to consume food or nourishment’
English nourish
Linked words
through Latin nutrio ‘to feed’
nurse, nutrition, nurture, nutrient, nutritious, nutritive, 2 more
Today it means
noun The act of nourishing or the state of being nourished.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *snew-tr-ih₂ / nourishment