diet
diet (dī′ət)
noun
- what a person or animal usually eats and drinks; daily fare
- figuratively, what a person regularly reads, listens to, does, etc.
- a special or limited selection of food and drink, chosen or prescribed to promote health or a gain or loss of weight
Etymology: ME diete < OFr < ML dieta, diet, daily food allowance (meaning infl. by diet) < L diaeta < Gr diaita, way of life, regimen < dia-, through + root of aisa, fate < IE *aito-, share < base *ai-, to give, allot
intransitive verb, transitive verb
Etymology: ME dieten < ML dietare
Related Forms:
- dieter di′et·er noun
diet (dī′ət)
noun
- Scot. a day's session of an assembly
- a formal assembly, as formerly of princes, electors, etc. of the Holy Roman Empire
- in some countries, a national or local legislative assembly
Etymology: ME diete < OFr < ML dieta < L dies, day: see deity
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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