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

Dozens of miles of fiber optic cable will be laid to connect the GPUs.

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The study, titled "Comparative life cycle assessment of bamboo-containing and wood-based hygiene tissue: Implications of fiber sourcing and conversion technologies," was published in Cleaner Environmental Systems.

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Cotton is nowadays the most ordinary of fibers, but back then, the newly American Mississippi Valley, along with the labor stolen from enslaved Blacks who were forced to grow cotton there, created an economic powerhouse.

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Charter is facing increasing competition from fixed wireless and fiber connection services, which are cutting into its home internet subscriber base, but the company is seeing continued gains in its mobile business.

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Telekom is seeing early success in reducing fiber business churn through targeted retention offers, with subscriber additions expected to recover in 3Q, he says.

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Related Words

• grain 
• thread 
• tissue