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Definition

noun

(1) Nourishment; nutriment; the part of the food digested and absorbed into the blood, thereby nourishing the organism of its metabolic needs, e.g. energy and compounds

(2) Food

(3) Herbal treatment or folklore medicine

(4) That which modifies the schema through assimilation

verb

To nourish; to nutrify

Supplement

Alimentary in physiological sense includes all food components that are used by the organism to obtain nourishment. It does not include the indigestible portions that are eventually excreted as waste or fecal matter.

Word origin: Latin alimentum (“food”)

Related term(s):

• alimentary
• alimentary canal

Mentioned in:

• Bromatology