food

[food] /fud/

noun

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.

Origin

before 1000; Middle English fode, Old English fōda; compare Old English fēdan, Gothic fōdjan to feed; compare fodder¹, foster

Related forms

foodless, adjective

foodlessness, noun

nonfood, noun, adjective

Synonyms

1. nutriment, aliment, bread, sustenance, victuals; meat, viands; diet, menu. 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.

Examples from the web for food

He took no other sustenance than bread and water, and usually abstained from all food two or three days together.
It smelled as sweet as sandalwood and was said to impart its fragrance to food and drink.
The material could be used for coatings on food and beverage cans, among other applications.
The new is food and drink to the advanced intellectual, but he can provide the new himself only in one way.
From the tiniest shrimp to the biggest whale, all living things play roles in a food chain.
Last year the skyrocketing cost of food was a wake-up call for the planet.
Our hot and hungry world could face a perpetual food crisis.
Rare-breed advocates say the best way to preserve vulnerable cattle is to keep them in the food chain, producing milk or meat.
Throughout history, people have relished insects as food.
There's no easier way to travel the world than through food.

British Dictionary definitions for food

food

/fuːd/

noun

any substance containing nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, that can be ingested by a living organism and metabolized into energy and body tissue related adjective alimentary

nourishment in more or less solid form as opposed to liquid form: food and drink

anything that provides mental nourishment or stimulus: food for thought

Derived Forms

foodless, adjective

Word Origin

Old English fōda; related to Old Frisian fōdia to nourish, feed, Old Norse fœthi, Gothic fōdeins food; see feed, fodder

Word Origin and History for food

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.

food in Medicine

food (fōōd)
n.
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.

Slang definitions & phrases for food

food

food in the Bible

Originally the Creator granted the use of the vegetable world for food to man (Gen. 1:29), with the exception mentioned (2:17). The use of animal food was probably not unknown to the antediluvians. There is, however, a distinct law on the subject given to Noah after the Deluge (Gen. 9:2-5). Various articles of food used in the patriarchal age are mentioned in Gen. 18:6-8; 25:34; 27:3, 4; 43:11. Regarding the food of the Israelites in Egypt, see Ex. 16:3; Num. 11:5. In the wilderness their ordinary food was miraculously supplied in the manna. They had also quails (Ex. 16:11-13; Num. 11:31). In the law of Moses there are special regulations as to the animals to be used for food (Lev. 11; Deut. 14:3-21). The Jews were also forbidden to use as food anything that had been consecrated to idols (Ex. 34:15), or animals that had died of disease or had been torn by wild beasts (Ex. 22:31; Lev. 22:8). (See also for other restrictions Ex. 23:19; 29:13-22; Lev. 3:4-9; 9:18, 19; 22:8; Deut. 14:21.) But beyond these restrictions they had a large grant from God (Deut. 14:26; 32:13, 14). Food was prepared for use in various ways. The cereals were sometimes eaten without any preparation (Lev. 23:14; Deut. 23:25; 2 Kings 4:42). Vegetables were cooked by boiling (Gen. 25:30, 34; 2 Kings 4:38, 39), and thus also other articles of food were prepared for use (Gen. 27:4; Prov. 23:3; Ezek. 24:10; Luke 24:42; John 21:9). Food was also prepared by roasting (Ex. 12:8; Lev. 2:14). (See COOK.)