dieting

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
diet1

▶noun

• 1 the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.

• 2 a special course of food to which a person restricts themselves to lose weight or for medical reasons.

  ■ [as modifier] (of food or drink) with reduced fat or sugar content.

▶verb (diets, dieting, dieted) restrict oneself to a special diet to lose weight.

– derivatives
dietary adjective,
dieter noun.

– origin ME: from OFr. diete (n.), dieter (v.), via L. from Gk diaita ‘a way of life’.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
diet2

▶noun

• 1 a legislative assembly in certain countries.

  ■ historical a regular meeting of the states of a confederation.

• 2 Scots Law a meeting or session of a court.

– origin ME: from med. L. dieta ‘day's work, wages’.