nutrient-wasting
|nu-tri-ent-wast-ing|
🇺🇸
/ˈnuː.tri.ənt-ˈweɪ.stɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/ˈnjuː.tri.ənt-ˈweɪ.stɪŋ/
causing loss or depletion of nutrients
Etymology
'nutrient-wasting' is a modern compound formed from 'nutrient' + 'wasting'. 'Nutrient' originates from Latin 'nutrire' via New Latin/French influence, where 'nutrire' meant 'to nourish'. 'Wasting' comes from the verb 'waste', which entered English from Old North French/Old French and Germanic sources.
'nutrient' developed in scientific New Latin use from Latin 'nutrire' and entered English as 'nutrient' in the 17th–19th centuries; 'waste' has older Germanic/Old French roots (Old English/Old Norse/Old French) and the present participle 'wasting' is formed in Modern English. The hyphenated compound 'nutrient-wasting' is a recent English formation used in technical and clinical contexts to describe processes that cause nutrient loss.
Individually, 'nutrire' originally meant 'to nourish' and 'waste' originally carried senses of 'lay waste' or 'ruin'; in modern compounds the combined sense became specialized to mean 'causing the loss or depletion of nourishment/nutrients'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or instance of losing nutrients from an organism, soil, or system (i.e., nutrient loss).
Excessive rainfall increased nutrient-wasting in the field through runoff.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
causing or leading to the loss, depletion, or inefficient use of nutrients (often used in medical, biological, or agricultural contexts).
Chronic diarrhea can be a nutrient-wasting condition, leading to malnutrition if untreated.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/24 08:27