Where does “nutriment” come from?
nutriment (Middle English) comes from Latin nutrimentum, from Latin nūtriō, from Proto-Italic snoutrjō, from Proto-Indo-European snew-tr-ih₂, from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₂- — to swim; to float.
Ancestry of “nutriment”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | nutrimentum | nourishment, nutriment, sustenance |
| 2 | Latin | nūtriō | to suckle, breastfeed, nurse |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | snoutrjō | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | snew-tr-ih₂ | female nurser |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)neh₂- | to swim; to float |