food
[food]
- any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk, or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, promote growth, etc.
- more or less solid nourishment, as distinguished from liquids.
- a particular kind of solid nourishment: a breakfast food; dog food.
- whatever supplies nourishment to organisms: plant food.
- anything serving for consumption or use: food for thought.
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Origin of food
Synonyms
See more synonyms for food on Thesaurus.com1. nutriment, aliment, bread, sustenance, victuals; meat, viands; diet, menu.
Synonym study
1. Food, fare, provisions, ration ( s ) all refer to nutriment. Food is the general word: Breakfast foods have become very popular. Many animals prefer grass as food. Fare refers to the whole range of foods that may nourish a person or animal: an extensive bill of fare; The fare of some animals is limited in range. Provisions is applied to a store or stock of necessary things, especially food, prepared beforehand: provisions for a journey. Ration implies an allotment or allowance of provisions: a daily ration for each man of a company. Rations often means food in general: to be on short rations.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for foodless
Contemporary Examples
The act finishes with Commendatore crashing a foodless and propless feast—“You invited me to supper, and I have arrived!”
Historical Examples
For 24 hours I had been foodless, and was now quite exhausted.
My Reminiscences of the Anglo-Boer WarBen Viljoen.
The last day of the year dawned and I spent it foodless, friendless, solitary.
A Tramp's NotebookMorley Roberts
The beavers must escape from their now foodless prison or perish.
Watched by Wild AnimalsEnos A. Mills
Unarmed and foodless, how shall he ever succeed in finding his way back to safety?
Forging the BladesBertram Mitford
If we could not get a boat we must remain in that foodless forest until we starved.
Allan and the Holy FlowerH. Rider Haggard
food
- any substance containing nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, that can be ingested by a living organism and metabolized into energy and body tissueRelated adjective: alimentary
- nourishment in more or less solid form as opposed to liquid formfood and drink
- anything that provides mental nourishment or stimulusfood for thought
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Word Origin
Old English fōda; related to Old Frisian fōdia to nourish, feed, Old Norse fœthi, Gothic fōdeins food; see feed, fodder
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for foodless
food
n.
Old English foda "food, nourishment; fuel," also figurative, from Proto-Germanic *fodon (cf. Gothic fodeins), from Germanic root *fod-, equivalent of PIE *pa- "to tend, keep, pasture, to protect, to guard, to feed" (cf. Greek pateisthai "to feed;" Latin pabulum "food, fodder," panis "bread," pasci "to feed," pascare "to graze, pasture, feed," pastor "shepherd," literally "feeder;" Avestan pitu- "food;" Old Church Slavonic pasti "feed cattle, pasture;" Russian pishcha "food").
Food chain is from 1917. Food poisoning attested by 1864; food processor in the kitchen appliance sense from 1973.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
food
(fōōd)- Material, usually of plant or animal origin, that contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals, and is ingested and assimilated by an organism to produce energy, stimulate growth, and maintain life.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.