'nutrient-enhancing' is a compound of 'nutrient' and 'enhancing'. 'Nutrient' ultimately comes from Latin 'nutriens'/'nutrire' meaning 'to nourish', while 'enhance' comes via Old French from Latin roots related to 'altus' (high) and Medieval Latin/Old French verbs meaning 'to raise' or 'to make higher'.

'nutrient' developed from Latin 'nutriens' into Late Latin and then Middle English forms before stabilizing as 'nutrient' in Modern English; 'enhance' came through Old French (enhaucer/enhauncer) from Latin elements (in- + altus or altāre) and entered Middle English as 'enhance', later forming the participle/adjective 'enhancing'. The modern compound 'nutrient-enhancing' is a descriptive formation combining these established words.

Individually, 'nutrient' originally meant 'one that nourishes' and 'enhance' meant 'to raise or make greater'; combined as 'nutrient-enhancing' the phrase has come to mean specifically 'increasing nutrient content or availability' in contexts like food, soil, or biological systems.