fiber

American  

[fahy-ber] / ˈfaɪ bər /

especially British, fibre

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.

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fiber British  

/ ˈfaɪbə /

noun

1. the usual US spelling of fibre

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fiber Scientific  

/ fī′bər /

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.

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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

An affordable quantum internet would rely on the same optical fibers used now.

From Science Daily

AT&T is upgrading its network to fiber in many places.

From The Wall Street Journal

With the 1793 invention of the cotton gin—which separated cotton fibers from its seeds with a previously undreamed-of efficiency—America’s plantation economy expanded exponentially and so did its use of slave labor.

From The Wall Street Journal

These protein structures form long, thin fibers that resemble strands of spaghetti.

From Science Daily

He continues to favor Telekom Malaysia for its extensive fiber infrastructure, submarine cable network and solid balance sheet.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• grain
• thread
• tissue