roughage

roughage
Fiber Fi"ber, Fibre Fi"bre,, n. [F. fibre, L. fibra.] 1. One of the delicate, threadlike portions of which the tissues of plants and animals are in part constituted; as, the fiber of flax or of muscle. [1913 Webster]

2. Any fine, slender thread, or threadlike substance; as, a fiber of spun glass; especially, one of the slender rootlets of a plant. [WordNet sense 1] [1913 Webster]

3. the inherent complex of attributes that determine a person's moral and ethical actions and reactions; sinew; strength; toughness; as, a man of real fiber. [WordNet sense 2]

Syn: character, fibre. [1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5]

Yet had no fibers in him, nor no force. --Chapman. [1913 Webster]

4. A general name for the raw material, such as cotton, flax, hemp, etc., used in textile manufactures. [1913 Webster]

5. (Nutrition) that portion of food composed of carbohydrates which are completely or partly indigestible, such as cellulose or pectin; it may be in an insoluble or a soluble form. It provides bulk to the solid waste and stimulates peristalsis in the intestine. It is found especially in grains, fruits, and vegetables. There is some medical evidence which indicates that diets high in fiber reduce the risk of colon cancer and reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. It is also called {dietary fiber}, {roughage}, or {bulk}. [PJC]

6. a leatherlike material made by compressing layers of paper or cloth. [WordNet sense 3]

Syn: fibre, vulcanized fiber. [WordNet 1.5]

{Fiber gun}, a kind of steam gun for converting, wood, straw, etc., into fiber. The material is shut up in the gun with steam, air, or gas at a very high pressure which is afterward relieved suddenly by letting a lid at the muzzle fly open, when the rapid expansion separates the fibers.

{Fiber plants} (Bot.), plants capable of yielding fiber useful in the arts, as hemp, flax, ramie, agave, etc.


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • roughage — 1883, rough grass or weeds, from ROUGH (Cf. rough) + AGE (Cf. age). Meaning coarse, bulky food first recorded 1927 …   Etymology dictionary

  • roughage — ► NOUN ▪ fibrous indigestible material in vegetable foodstuffs which aids the passage of food and waste products through the gut …   English terms dictionary

  • roughage — ☆ roughage [ruf′ij ] n. rough material; coarse substance; specif., coarse food or fodder, as bran, straw, vegetable peel, etc., containing a relatively high proportion of cellulose and other indigestible constituents and serving in the diet as a… …   English World dictionary

  • roughage — [[t]rʌ̱fɪʤ[/t]] N UNCOUNT Roughage consists of the tough parts of vegetables and grains that help you to digest your food and help your bowels to work properly. Syn: fibre …   English dictionary

  • roughage — noun (U) a substance contained in some foods that helps your bowels to work; dietary fibre: Wholemeal bread is a valuable source of roughage …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • roughage — noun Date: circa 1900 fiber 1d; also food containing much indigestible material acting as fiber …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • roughage — in aquaculture, a feed containing a high percentage of indigestible constituents such as cellulose …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • roughage — /ruf ij/, n. 1. rough or coarse material. 2. any coarse, rough food for livestock. 3. fiber (def. 9). [1880 85; ROUGH + AGE] * * * …   Universalium

  • roughage — noun dietary fibre …   Wiktionary

  • roughage — Anything in the diet, e.g., bran, serving as a bulk stimulant of intestinal peristalsis. * * * rough·age rəf ij n FIBER (2) also food (as bran) containing much indigestible material acting as fiber * * * n …   Medical dictionary

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