I.nourishment, nutriment; and concr., food, provisions, aliment (in the poets only in the plur.).
I. In gen.: “alimenta corporis,” Cic. Univ. 6: “plus alimenti est in pane quam in ullo alio,” Cels. 2, 18; so id. 8, 1; Plin. 17, 13, 20: “alimenta reponere in hiemem,” Quint. 2, 16, 16; Suet. Tib. 54; cf. Tac. A. 6, 23: “alimenta petens,” Vulg. Gen. 41, 55: “alimenta negare,” Ov. Tr 5, 8, 13: “habentes alimenta et quibus tegamur,” Vulg. 1 Tim. 6, 8.—In the jurists: “alimenta,” all things which pertain to the support of life, aliment, maintenance, support, Dig. 34, tit. 1, De alimentis, and 1. 6.— Poet. (very freq. in Ovid): “picem et ceras, alimentaque cetera flammae,” Ov. M. 14, 532: “concipit Iris aquas, alimentaque nubibus affert,” id. ib. 1, 271: “lacrimaeque alimenta fuere,” tears were his food, id. ib. 10, 75 (cf.: “fuerunt mihi lacrimae meae panes die ac nocte,” Vulg. Psa. 41, 4): “ignis,” Ov. M. 8, 837. —Trop.: “vitiorum,” Ov. M. 2, 769: “furoris,” id. ib. 3, 479: “addidit alimenta rumoribus,” gave new support to the rumors, Liv. 35, 23 fin.: “alimentum famae,” Tac. H. 2, 96: “alimentum virtutis honos,” Val. Max. 2, 6, 5.—
II. Esp., for the Gr. τροφεῖα or θρέπτρα, the reward or recompense due to parents from children for their rearing: quasi alimenta exspectarct a nobis (patria), Cic. Rep. 1, 4 Mos. (in Val. Fl. 6, 570, this is expressed by nutrimenta; in Dig. 50, 13, 1, § 14, by nutricia).
