fibre

[fahy-ber]

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a variant of fiber.

fibre

/ ˈfaɪbə /

noun

1. a natural or synthetic filament that may be spun into yarn, such as cotton or nylon

2. cloth or other material made from such yarn

3. a long fine continuous thread or filament

4. the structure of any material or substance made of or as if of fibres; texture

5. essential substance or nature

   all the fibres of his being were stirred

6. strength of character (esp in the phrase moral fibre )

7. See dietary fibre

8. botany

   1. a narrow elongated thick-walled cell: a constituent of sclerenchyma tissue

   2. such tissue extracted from flax, hemp, etc, used to make linen, rope, etc

   3. a very small root or twig

9. anatomy any thread-shaped structure, such as a nerve fibre

Other Word Forms

• fibreless adjective
• fibred adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fibre¹

C14: from Latin fibra filament, entrails

Example Sentences

Surveys indicate these industrially-manufactured foods are on the rise in diets around the world, worsening the quality of what we eat with too much sugar and unhealthy fats and a lack of fibre and protein.

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"This isn't toilet paper" he says as the wipe slowly breaks apart into fibres while he stirs the water inside an tank.

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Asbestos, once widely used in building materials, can release toxic fibres into the air if disturbed or processed that can cling to the lungs and - over decades - cause cancer.

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Like açaí berries - these strange fruits are rich in antioxidants, fibre or fatty acids.

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Asbestos, a prohibited substance in Australia, becomes dangerous when fibres are breathed in.

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