nutrient
n. countablen. a substance that plants, animals, and people need to live and grow. You get these from food to help your body stay healthy.
n. a substance that provides nourishment essential for the maintenance of life and for growth. Often used in biological or nutritional contexts to describe chemical compounds like vitamins or minerals.
Vegetables are full of every nutrient your body needs.
Farmers often add fertilizer to the soil to replace the nutrient levels that crops use up during the growing season.
While the primary focus of the diet was caloric intake, the researchers discovered that a lack of a single essential nutrient was causing the widespread fatigue observed in the study group.
Borrowed from Latin nūtriēns, present participle of nūtriō (“I suckle, nourish, foster”).
Commonly used in the plural form when referring to the various components of food.