Food

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /fuːd/

Definitions

1. Any substance consumed by living beings to provide nutritional support and energy
2. Materials consisting of nutrients eaten or drunk to sustain life and health
3. Items ingested to supply nourishment and maintain bodily functions

Etymology: Food is one of the oldest English words still in everyday use, and its root meaning is "to feed" rather than "something eaten." The Old English "fōda" grew from a prehistoric Germanic form, and behind that lies a reconstructed Indo-European root meaning "to guard, graze, feed," which sounds more like a shepherd's job than a kitchen one. The same root shows up in a striking spread of relatives. Dutch "voedsel," Swedish "föda," and Icelandic "fæða" all mean "food," and the Gothic "fōdeins" carries the same sense. Even Latin "pāscō," "feed, nourish," belongs to the family, linking English food to a verb that also gave rise to the word "pasture." The English word has stayed close to its roots. Middle English "fode" and "foode" carried it forward, and it still sits beside "fodder," the feed given to livestock, which shares the same ancestor.

Synonyms: nourishment, nutrition, meal, sustenance, provisions

Antonyms: starvation, hunger, deprivation