fiber

especially British, fi·bre

[fahy-ber]

noun

1. a fine, threadlike piece, as of cotton, jute, or asbestos.

2. a slender filament.

   a fiber of platinum.

3. filaments collectively.

4. matter or material composed of filaments.

   a plastic fiber.

5. something resembling a filament.

6. an essential character, quality, or strength.

   people of strong moral fiber.

7. Botany.

   1. filamentous matter from the bast tissue or other parts of plants, used for industrial purposes.

   2. a slender, threadlike root of a plant.

   3. a slender, tapered cell which, with like cells, serves to strengthen tissue.

8. Anatomy, Zoology.,  a slender, threadlike element or cell, as of nerve, muscle, or connective tissue.

9. Also called bulk, dietary fiber, roughage. Nutrition.

   1. the structural part of plants and plant products that consists of carbohydrates, as cellulose and pectin, that are wholly or partially indigestible and when eaten stimulate peristalsis in the intestine.

   2. food containing a high amount of such carbohydrates, as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

10. Chemistry.,  vulcanized fiber.

11. Optics.,  optical fiber.

fiber

/ ˈfaɪbə /

noun

1. the usual US spelling of fibre

fiber

1. The parts of grains, fruits, and vegetables that contain cellulose and are not digested by the body. Fiber helps the intestines absorb water, which increases the bulk of the stool and causes it to move more quickly through the colon.

2. One of the elongated, thick-walled cells, often occurring in bundles, that give strength and support to tissue in vascular plants. Fibers are one type of sclerenchyma cell.

3. Any of the elongated cells of skeletal or cardiac muscle, made up of slender threadlike structures called myofibrils.

4. The axon of a neuron.

Other Word Forms

• fiberless adjective
• interfiber adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fiber¹

1350–1400; 1970–75 fiber for def. 9; Middle English fibre (< Middle French ) < Latin fibra filament

Example Sentences

In this series, we highlight independent makers and artists, from glassblowers to fiber artists, who are creating original products in and around Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

Crews have excavated 85% of the area and have begun digging by hand around the valve to ensure adjacent oil pipelines, a fiber optic line and a gas line are not affected, Quiñones said.

From Los Angeles Times

And there were polyester fibers on two of the victims matching material found in Buono’s shop.

From Los Angeles Times

It will also contain five grams of cane sugar, 30 calories and three grams of prebiotic fiber with no artificial sweeteners.

From Salon

He once flew across the English Channel in a carbon fiber wing after being dropped from a plane.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• grain 
• thread 
• tissue