macrobiotic

adjective
mac·​ro·​bi·​ot·​ic | \ ˌma-krō-bī-ˈä-tik How to pronounce macrobiotic (audio) , -bē-\

Definition of macrobiotic

: of, relating to, or being a diet based on the Chinese cosmological principles of yin and yang that consists of whole cereals and grains supplemented especially with beans and vegetables and that in its especially former more restrictive forms has been linked to nutritional deficiencies

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Other Words from macrobiotic

macrobiotics \ ˌma-​krō-​bī-​ˈä-​tiks How to pronounce macrobiotics (audio) , -​bē-​ \ noun, plural in form but singular in construction

Examples of macrobiotic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Beth Ann Simon, who died in the East Village in 1966 at age 23 because of her obsession with a rigorously macrobiotic diet, may have been hippiedom’s true Patient Zero. Tom Carson, Los Angeles Times, "Woodstock glorified them. Tarantino barbecued them. In 2019, whither the hippie?," 15 Aug. 2019 Other than that, Adventure Nannies is open to all prior career backgrounds, including professional athletes, computer programmers, ex-military, published authors, historians, macrobiotic chefs, to name a handful of previous professions. Cristina Goyanes, Marie Claire, "The Coolest Six-Figure Job You Never Thought You Wanted: Nannying," 14 Jan. 2019 De Maria chef Camille Becerra has always drawn upon her early training at macrobiotic restaurants and a Zen center. Christine Muhlke, Bon Appetit, "All Day Cafes Are Changing the Way We Eat Out," 15 Jan. 2018 This macrobiotic food site has a wide variety of premium Japanese ingredients, mostly from the Ohsawa brand, and comes highly recommended by Nancy Singleton Hachisu, author of Preserving the Japanese Way. Mari Uyehara, Bon Appetit, "These 10 Great Online Specialty Food Stores Have Everything," 19 June 2017 There are six Passion Café locations across the island that each have different vibes, but are all focused on providing vegan, vegetarian, macrobiotic, and raw cuisine. Amy Louise Bailey, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Fashion Girl's Guide to Ibiza," 17 Oct. 2017 Lett grew up eating a Japanese-inflected macrobiotic diet in New Jersey, and spent a significant amount of time traveling to Japan while the restaurant was being built out. Garrett Snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "Here Comes $20 Ramen: MTN is One of America’s Most Wildly Ambitious Japanese Restaurants," 5 Sep. 2017 The seven-night trip is set to travel from Tilbury, England to the Norwegian fjords and will serve a vegan menu that also caters to travelers on raw, gluten-free, or macrobiotic diets, reports The Independent. Elaheh Nozari, CNT, "A New Cruise to Norway's Fjords Caters to Vegans," 4 Sep. 2017 His mother Diane is a macrobiotic cook who has worked as a personal chef and nutritionist for decades for stars including Phil Donahue, Michelle Pfeiffer and director Ridley Scott. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, "Pearl Jam's 'Jeremy': The Untold Story of Video Star Trevor Wilson's Fascinating Life & Tragic Death," 1 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'macrobiotic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of macrobiotic

1965, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for macrobiotic

borrowed from French macrobiotique, probably adapted from German Macrobiotic, noun (defined by its coiner as "the art of prolonging life"), from Greek makrobiótēs "longevity, long life" (from makróbios "long-lived" —from makrós "long" + -o- -o- + -bios "having life [of the kind specified]"— + -tēs, abstract noun suffix) + German -ic -ic entry 2 — more at macro-, amphibious

Note: French macrobiotique was used by the Japanese author George Ohsawa (Nyoichi Sakurazawa, 1893-1966) in La Philosophie de la Médecine d'Extrême-Orient (1956) and later works that popularized macrobiotic diet practices. He most likely adapted the word from German Macrobiotic (in later spelling Makrobiotik), apparently originated by the German physician Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland (1762-1836) in Die Kunst das menschliche Leben zu verlängern (Jena, 1797). Hufeland defined Macrobiotic in the preface (p. vi) as "the art of prolonging life" ("die Kunst das Leben zu verlängern"), and in later editions used Makrobiotik as the title of the book, with the original title as subtitle.

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More Definitions for macrobiotic

macrobiotic

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of macrobiotic

: consisting of mainly whole grains and vegetables

macrobiotic

adjective
mac·​ro·​bi·​ot·​ic | \ ˌmak-rō-bī-ˈät-ik, -bē- How to pronounce macrobiotic (audio) \

Medical Definition of macrobiotic

: of, relating to, or being a diet that consists of whole cereals and grains supplemented especially with beans and vegetables and that in its especially former more restrictive forms has been linked to nutritional deficiencies