Foodstuff

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈfuːdˌstʌf/

Definitions

1. Any substance that can be consumed as nourishment by humans or animals
2. Any substance that serves as nutrition for living beings or is utilized in cooking or food preparation
3. A material that is ingested to provide sustenance for organisms or is often processed into meals

Etymology: "Foodstuff" is a plain compound of "food" and "stuff," with no hidden story behind it. "Food" comes from Old English "foda," a word for nourishment that has stayed close to its original sense for well over a thousand years. "Stuff" is older still in English as a noun for material or matter, and the compound joins the two to name substances that serve as food, especially raw or processed materials rather than finished dishes. The word's value lies in its flexibility. Speakers use it when they want to refer to food as a substance or commodity, as in discussions of grain, sugar, or ingredients, without the more specific connotations of "dish" or "meal." The combination reads as a practical, descriptive coinage, a term built from ordinary parts to name a clear category.

Synonyms: ingredient, provision, produce

Antonyms: poison