fiber
Americannoun
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a fine, threadlike piece, as of cotton, jute, or asbestos.
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a slender filament.
a fiber of platinum.
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filaments collectively.
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matter or material composed of filaments.
a plastic fiber.
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something resembling a filament.
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an essential character, quality, or strength.
people of strong moral fiber.
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Botany.
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filamentous matter from the bast tissue or other parts of plants, used for industrial purposes.
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a slender, threadlike root of a plant.
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a slender, tapered cell which, with like cells, serves to strengthen tissue.
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Anatomy, Zoology. a slender, threadlike element or cell, as of nerve, muscle, or connective tissue.
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Also called bulk, dietary fiber, roughage. Nutrition.
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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.
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food containing a high amount of such carbohydrates, as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
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Chemistry. vulcanized fiber.
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Optics. optical fiber.
noun
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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.
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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.
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Any of the elongated cells of skeletal or cardiac muscle, made up of slender threadlike structures called myofibrils.
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The axon of a neuron.
Other Word Forms
- fiberless adjective
- interfiber adjective
Etymology
Origin of fiber
1350–1400; 1970–75 fiber for def. 9; Middle English fibre (< Middle French ) < Latin fibra filament
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These fibers appeared to help stabilize the band as it tightened.
From Science Daily
“From the Swiss steel framework and sleek fixtures to the fiber cement exterior panels that can go more than 50 years without maintenance, everything was designed to last.”
From MarketWatch
“Hyperscaler investments, highlighted by Meta’s….commitment to glass and polymer composite fiber, prove that the logical layers of AI cannot scale without fundamental upgrades to the physical substrates.”
From Barron's
In the pointed end of it, underneath the brown hairy-looking fiber, I saw what looked like two small black eyes and a tiny mouth.
From Literature
As she drew the fibers together, they created vibrant pictures—birds and pixies and flowers—and they were so lifelike they seemed to breathe and move as if in a gentle breeze.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
