Meanings
plural nutraceuticals · alternative neutraceutical · alternative neutriceutical
- A nutrient or food believed to have curative properties; a food used as a drug.
The latest nutraceutical nostrum could come from the blueberry.
2004 August 25, “Find your thrill on blueberry hill”, in The Guardian1 more example
Japan, where the probiotic drink Yakult was invented in 1935, is regarded as the homeland of nutraceuticals. Thanks to a lighter legislative touch than in Europe it’s also relatively easy for food manufacturers to claim special powers for their products.
2015 August 31, Trevor Baker, “Why you should forget ‘nutraceuticals’ and focus on a healthy diet”, in The GuardianSynonyms: bioceutical
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA nutrient or food believed to have curative properties; a food used as a drug.
Origin
Blend of nutrient + pharmaceutical, a marketing term coined by Stephen DeFelice in 1989.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
German Nutrazeutikum
- Nutrazeutikumsupposedly or provenly food with pharmaceutical properties
Greek τροφοφάρμακο, φαρμακοτρόφιμο
- τροφοφάρμακο (trofofármako)supposedly or provenly food with pharmaceutical properties
- φαρμακοτρόφιμο (farmakotrófimo)supposedly or provenly food with pharmaceutical properties
- διατροφοφάρμακο (diatrofofármako)supposedly or provenly food with pharmaceutical properties
- διατροφάρμακο (diatrofármako)supposedly or provenly food with pharmaceutical properties
Cite this entry
nutraceutical. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nutraceutical
“nutraceutical.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nutraceutical. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nutraceutical,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nutraceutical.
Source: nutraceutical on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.