Filler

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈfɪlə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A material placed into spaces or gaps to occupy volume or provide support ; a component added to food or manufactured items to increase quantity or volume
2. An item inserted to fill a void, often for structural or cosmetic purposes ; a substance mixed into consumables or goods to extend their amount or alter texture
3. Something used to occupy empty areas or holes ; an additive included in products or meals to bulk up the composition or reduce cost

Etymology: The word is about as transparent as English gets: "filler" is "fill" plus the agent suffix "-er", meaning a thing that does the filling. The verb "fill" goes back to Old English "fyllan", itself from Proto-Germanic "fullijaną", a causative of the adjective "full", so the verb literally means "to make full". The suffix has a more roundabout route. The Old English "-ere" came from Proto-Germanic "-ārijaz", which was borrowed from Latin "-ārius", and it reached English as "-er", the same ending found in "baker" or "writer". Nothing about the word hides a dramatic twist. Its meaning has stayed close to the original sense: something that fills a space. The food-industry sense, an additive that bulks out a product, is a natural extension of that same idea, with the added bulk serving as the filling.

Synonyms: padding, stuffing, material, insert, substitute

Antonyms: void, gap, space, absence, lack