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roughage

American  
[ruhf-ij] / ˈrʌf ɪdʒ /

noun

  1. rough or coarse material.

  2. any coarse, rough food for livestock.

  3. fiber.


roughage British  
/ ˈrʌfɪdʒ /

noun

  1. the coarse indigestible constituents of food or fodder, which provide bulk to the diet and promote normal bowel function See also dietary fibre

  2. any rough or coarse material

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of roughage

First recorded in 1880–85; rough + -age

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The effects of fibre were first discovered in the 1970s, when it was believed that fibre was just "hard roughage stuff" that helped our bodies get rid of waste, explains Whelan.

From BBC Jan. 16, 2026

Awards season always brings a parade of Very Important Cinema to theaters, most of which have the appeal of roughage.

From Salon Nov. 22, 2024

Therefore, the digestive system must be able to handle large amounts of roughage and break down the cellulose.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

His diet includes mostly carbohydrates, "nightshade" vegetables, MSG, and coffee, for legumes, whole grains, roughage, and a small percent of lean meat.

From Fox News Jan. 27, 2021

Either the wheat or the oats could be taken out of this rotation if either the one or the other were thought undesirable and a still greater amount of roughage desired.

From The Young Farmer: Some Things He Should Know by Hunt, Thomas Forsyth

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