alimenté

Alimenté is a French past participle of the verb alimenter and an adjective meaning provided with nourishment or with energy. It is used in various contexts to indicate that something has been supplied with food, nutrients, or power.

Etymology: alimenté comes from Latin alimentare, meaning to nourish, which in turn derives from alimentum, nourishment. The term has extended use beyond food to denote supplying energy or data in technical settings.

Usage and senses: In nutrition-related contexts, everyday French more commonly uses bien nourri (well nourished); alimenté can appear in formal or medical writing to describe a subject that has been supplied with adequate nourishment, for example in a report about a patient or animal. In electronics and engineering, alimenté is widely used to mean powered or supplied with electricity or energy: un appareil alimenté, une ligne alimentée, un système alimenté par une alimentation externe.

Grammatical notes: as an adjective, alimenté agrees with the noun it describes (masculine sing. alimenté, feminine sing. alimentée, plural alimentés / alimentées). It is often found in phrases with être or être passé in passive constructions, such as « l’appareil est alimenté ».

See also: alimenter, alimentation, alimentation électrique.