What does dietarily mean?
Dietarily is an adverb meaning in relation to diet or nutrition, especially when evaluating whether a food or meal is balanced, suitable, or necessary. It can also indicate that a discussion or decision concerns dietary rather than culinary, financial, or practical qualities. Typical constructions place it before an adjective, as in dietarily adequate or dietarily suitable, although it may also begin a sentence when it means in dietary terms. The word is relatively uncommon in everyday conversation and is more characteristic of formal, educational, medical, nutritional, and technical contexts than of casual speech. Its usefulness lies in making a specific point of view explicit: a food may be convenient or appealing without being nutritionally appropriate, or it may be nutritionally valuable without being affordable or easy to prepare. Dietarily is formed from the adjective dietary and retains its meaning while converting it to adverbial use. In careful writing, it distinguishes questions about nutritional value and suitability from other evaluations of food, such as taste, price, convenience, or cultural acceptability.
adverbIn relation to diet or nutrition; with regard to the effects, suitability, or nutritional value of food.
- In relation to diet or nutrition, especially when considering a food's balance, suitability, necessity, or effects on the body.
"Dietarily, the meal is well balanced, but its ingredients may be difficult to find."
"Dietarily, the meal is well balanced, but its ingredients may be difficult to find."
"Many supplements are marketed as health foods without being dietarily necessary."
Dietarily asks a deceptively practical question: not simply what a food tastes like, but how it fits the diet.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does dietarily come from?
Dietarily was formed in English from the adjective dietary with adverbial -ly, changing the final -y to -i. Dietary comes through Medieval Latin dietarius from Latin diaeta, meaning "way of life" or "regimen," which in turn comes from Greek diaita, meaning "food" or "diet." Related English forms such as dietetic and dietetics preserve the same Latin and Greek ancestry.
How dietarily is actually used
Relatively uncommon and more characteristic of formal, educational, medical, nutritional, and technical prose than everyday conversation. It is often used with adjectives such as adequate, suitable, balanced, acceptable, and restricted.
Easily confused with dietarily
Dietary is an adjective describing food, nutrients, or their relation to nutrition, whereas dietarily is the adverb used to make a qualification in dietary terms.