GC: n
S: HHP – https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/micronutrients-have-major-impact-on-health (last access: 9 January 2024); NCBI – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2585731/ (last access: 9 January 2024).
N: 1. From word-forming element micro- and word nutrient:
- micro-: word-forming element meaning “small in size or extent, microscopic; magnifying;” in science indicating a unit one millionth of the unit it is prefixed to; from Latinized form of mikros, Attic form of Greek smikros “small, little, petty, trivial, slight,” perhaps from PIE smika, from root smik– “small” (source also of Old High German smahi “littleness”), but Beekes thinks it a Pre-Greek word.
- nutrient (n.): “a nutritious substance,” 1828, noun use of adjective (1640s) meaning “providing nourishment,” which is from Latin nutrientem (nominative nutriens), present participle of nutrire “to nourish, suckle, feed,” from PIE nu-tri-, suffixed form (with feminine agent suffix) of (s)nau– “to swim, flow, let flow,” hence “to suckle,” extended form of root sna- “to swim.”
2. A chemical element or substance (such as calcium or vitamin C) that is essential in minute amounts to the growth and health of a living organism.
3. Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals needed by the body in very small amounts. However, their impact on a body’s health is critical, and deficiency in any of them can cause severe and even life-threatening conditions. They perform a range of functions, including enabling the body to produce enzymes, hormones and other substances needed for normal growth and development.
4. Nutritive Elements (Biological Sciences); Biochemistry: trace element, essential trace element, micronutrient, minor element, microelement, micro-element, oligoelement.
. A chemical element which, at extremely low concentrations, is necessary for the normal metabolism of man, animals or plants.
. Vitamins, minerals and certain other substances (including amino acids, essential fatty acids) are micronutrients.
. trace element; essential trace element; micronutrient: terms and definition standardized by ISO.
5. Agriculture and Biology: micronutrient.
. A plant nutrient (for example, boron, copper, molybdenum, manganese, iron and zinc) required in lesser quantities than major (for example, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and secondary (for example, calcium and magnesium) plant nutrients, having essential physiological functions in plant metabolism.
6. The following are some essential micronutrients and their roles:
- Iron, which is critical for motor and cognitive development.
- Vitamin A, which supports healthy eyesight and immune system functions.
- Vitamin D, which builds strong bones by helping the body absorb calcium.
- Iodine, which is required during pregnancy and infancy for the infant’s healthy growth and cognitive development.
- Folate (vitamin B9), which takes part on the making of new cells every day.
- Zinc, which promotes immune functions and helps people resist infectious diseases including diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria.
S: 1. Etymonline – https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=micro, https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=nutrient (last access: 9 January 2024). 2. MW – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/micronutrient (last access: 18 January 2024). 3. WHO – https://www.who.int/health-topics/micronutrients#tab=tab_1 (last access: 9 January 2024). 4. TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=micronutrient&index=alt&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 18 January 2024). 5. GDT – https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/8355669/oligoelement (last access: 18 January 2024). 6. CDC – https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/micronutrient-malnutrition/micronutrients/index.html (last access: 9 January 2024).
SYN:
S:
CR: feeding, nutritive value, macronutrient, nutrient, vitamin.
