aliment

EN
noun

🇺🇸

/ˈælɪmənt/

🇺🇸

/ˈælɪmənt/

🇬🇧

/ˈælɪmənt/

🇬🇧

/ˈælɪmənt/

Word Forms

Plural

aliments

Description

Aliment is a formal or literary word for food or anything that nourishes—physically, mentally, or spiritually. Think of it as 'fuel for life': whether it's bread on your plate or wisdom in a book, if it feeds you in some essential way, it’s an aliment.

Examples

The monastery provided simple aliment to travelers in need.

Great literature serves as intellectual aliment for curious minds.

Doctors emphasize that fiber-rich foods are vital aliment for digestive health.

In legal contexts, 'aliment' refers to court-ordered financial support, especially in Scots law.

She found emotional aliment in daily walks among the trees.

Root

alere

Comes from the Latin verb 'alere', meaning 'to nourish', 'to feed', or 'to sustain'. It is a fundamental Proto-Indo-European root (*h₂el-) denoting growth and sustenance. Examples include aliment, alimentary, alimony (via 'alimonia' — nourishment/support), and foster (cognate via Germanic). Core meaning: 'to nurture, support, or maintain life'.