feeder

American  

[fee-der] / ˈfi dər /

noun

1. a person or thing that supplies food or feeds something.

2. a bin or boxlike device from which farm animals may eat, especially such a device designed to allow a number of chickens to feed simultaneously or to release a specific amount of feed at regular intervals.

3. a person or thing that takes food or nourishment.

4. a livestock animal that is fed an enriched diet to fatten it for market.

5. a person or device that feeds a machine, printing press, etc.

6. a tributary stream.

7. bird feeder.

8. feeder line.

9. feeder road.

10. Electricity. Also a conductor, or group of conductors, connecting primary equipment in an electric power system.

11. British. a baby's bib.

12. Theater Slang. straight man.

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adjective

1. being, functioning as, or serving as a feeder.

2. pertaining to livestock to be fattened for market.

feeder British  

/ ˈfiːdə /

noun

1. a person or thing that feeds or is fed

2. a child's feeding bottle or bib

3. agriculture a head of livestock being fattened for slaughter

4. a person or device that feeds the working material into a system or machine

5. a tributary channel, esp one that supplies a reservoir or canal with water

6. 1. a road, service, etc, that links secondary areas to the main traffic network

   2. ( as modifier )

      a feeder bus

7. 1. a transmission line connecting an aerial to a transmitter or receiver

   2. a power line for transmitting electrical power from a generating station to a distribution network

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Etymology

Origin of feeder

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; feed, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Bird feeders of every shape and color dangle from the awning, and a faded porch swing rocks in the breeze.

From Literature

“They don’t want to be the bottom feeder,” she said.

From MarketWatch

To encourage more natural behavior, the plane is outfitted with timed feeders in an attempt to encourage movement throughout the acreage and establish a level of real-life unpredictability in hunting for resources.

From Los Angeles Times

“At first I thought, These people sound a little bit crazy,” Hanrahan says of the raw feeders she encountered online.

From The Wall Street Journal

The bag is heavy, and by the time we’ve refilled their feeder and changed out the coop’s dirty bedding for fresh, we’re both sweating.

From Literature

Related Words

• grower
• laborer
• peasant
• producer
• rancher