Fiber

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈfaɪ.bɚ/

Definitions

1. A natural substance obtained from plants or animals used in making textiles or ropes ; a dietary component found mainly in plant foods that aids digestion and helps regulate the body's use of sugars ; a thin thread or filament that can be spun into fabric or used in manufacturing
2. Material derived from plant stems or animal sources used in cloth and rope production ; edible parts of plants that resist digestion and assist bowel health ; a fine twisted strand that forms textiles or engineering products
3. Any threadlike natural matter from plants or animals for textile or rope use ; nutrient in food that supports healthy digestion by adding bulk to stool ; a slender filament that can be combined to create yarns or composites

Etymology: The Latin "fibra" meant a filament, a thread, or the inner part of something, and it is the ancestor of the English "fiber." Its Latin sense was broad: the word could describe the fibrous parts of a plant or the threadlike tissues inside a body, not only woven material. The word passed into French as "fibre," and English borrowed that French form, so the modern spelling with "-re" would have been the French version that English later respelled with "-er" in American usage. Because the English word came through French rather than directly from Latin, it carries the physical sense of a fine thread that the Romans gave it. That sense covers both the strands of a textile and the threads of muscle and nerve, which is why the same word serves the clothing trade, the kitchen, and anatomy alike.

Synonyms: thread, strands, filament, fibre, INVALID

Antonyms: bulk, lump, mass, INVALID, INVALID