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Added 4 October 2026

food

/fuːd/ noun

Categories: Food & DrinkMind & IdeasEveryday Words

In Latin: cibus, pābulum, esca Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about food at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Any solid substance that can be consumed by living organisms, especially by eating, in order to sustain life.
    The innkeeper brought them food and drink.
  2. A foodstuff, a type of food.
  3. Anything that nourishes or sustains.
    The man's inspiring speech gave us food for thought.

Origin

From Middle English fode, foode, from Old English fōda (“food”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōdō, from Proto-Germanic *fōdô (“food”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to guard, graze, feed”). Cognate with Scots fuid (“food”), Low German föde, vöde (“food”), West Frisian fiedsel (“food”), Dutch voedsel (“food”) Danish føde (“food”), Swedish föda (“food”), Icelandic fæða, fæði (“food”), Gothic 𐍆𐍉𐌳𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (fōdeins, “food”), Latin pānis (“bread, food”), Latin pāscō (“feed, nourish”, verb). Related to fodder, foster.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: nutrientfoodstufffeedfeedingfeederalimentchowsnackgastronomicediblegastronomyeats

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