Main Entry: fi·ber

Pronunciation: \ˈfī-bər\

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 \-bərd\ adjective