comestible

1 of 2

adjective

co·​mes·​ti·​ble kə-ˈme-stə-bəl How to pronounce comestible (audio)
: edible

comestible

2 of 2

noun

: food
usually used in plural

Did you know?

Did you expect comestible to be a noun meaning "food"? You're probably not alone. As it happens, comestible is used both as an adjective and a noun. The adjective is by far the older of the two; it has been part of English since at least the 1400s. In fact, one of its earliest known uses was in a text printed in 1483 by William Caxton, the man who established England's first printing press. The noun (which is most often used in the plural form comestibles) dates to the late 1700s.

Examples of comestible in a Sentence

Adjective some mushrooms are comfortably comestible, but others are decidedly poisonous
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Where there were once ingredients, there is now a comestible. Ryan Chapman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2022 For the next several weeks, acres of gingham blankets will be unfurled in grassy parkscapes coast to coast upon which thousands of wicker hampers will disgorge their comestible contents for the benefit of those who wish to dine al fresco. Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2022 At the end of a catering event, what’s left over and comestible makes its way to Rethink, a nonprofit that provides meals to people living without food security. David Kortava, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2021 As far as comestible trends, Barcelona has long been a lab for innovation both within Spain and abroad. Lauren Mowery, USA TODAY, 19 June 2017
Noun
To the last comestible of recorded time. Jay Martel, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2021 Throughout this in vino veritas revel, every sip of Jack Daniels and every comestible gives the partiers sustenance. Armond White, National Review, 1 Oct. 2021 Fast-food companies have long attempted to stave off disposability by piggybacking on broader cultural moments, hoping to extend their reach beyond the comestible into the permanently tangible. Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2020 Three hours later, Dragon and its cheesy comestible returned safely to Earth. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 3 June 2020 That same approach will hold you in good stead when tipping the folks who are delivering groceries to your door through services such as Yummy.com, Amazon Fresh or Instacart, some of whom are also plucking your comestibles off the shelves. Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2020 The pregnancy apps Ovia, The Bump and What to Expect all compare them to comestibles. Alex Van Buren, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2020 For Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, the geographic-specific comestible protected by the European Commission, head to Modena and Reggio Emilia provinces. Elizabeth Chang, Washington Post, 2 July 2019 Master chef Silvio Giavedoni provided the scrumptious comestibles. Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 21 May 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'comestible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Medieval Latin comestibilis, from Latin comestus, past participle of comedere to eat, from com- + edere to eat — more at eat

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1799, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of comestible was in the 15th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near comestible

Cite this Entry

“Comestible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comestible. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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