n.
Pronunciation: ' f ī -b ə r
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French fibre, from Latin fibra
Date: 1540
1 : a thread or a structure or object resembling a thread: as a (1) : a slender root (as of a grass) (2) : an elongated tapering thick-walled plant cell void at maturity that imparts elasticity, flexibility, and tensile strength b (1) : a strand of nerve tissue : AXON , DENDRITE (2) : one of the filaments composing most of the intercellular matrix of connective tissue (3) : one of the elongated contractile cells of muscle tissue c : a slender and greatly elongated natural or synthetic filament (as of wool, cotton, asbestos, gold, glass, or rayon) typically capable of being spun into yarn d : mostly indigestible material in food that stimulates the intestine to peristalsis ― called also bulk roughage
2 : material made of fibers especially : VULCANIZED FIBER
3 a : an element that gives texture or substance b : basic toughness : STRENGTH , FORTITUDE c : essential structure or character <the very fiber of a person's being>
– fi · bered \ -b ə rd \ adjective