noun / verb

fodder

FAH-der/ˈfɑːdər/

Food provided to sustain livestock.

A cow eats loose hay as fodder from a simple trough.

A cow eating loose hay from a simple farm feeding trough, with the bulk animal feed clearly visible.

Etymology

fodderOld Englishfood, especially cattle feed

Old English fodder meant food, especially bulky cattle feed such as hay or straw. The modern farm-animal sense continues that established agricultural use.

In context

Addressing Gettysburg68:54

12 to 14 pounds of fodder, grass or hay for proper digestion

Feeding Soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg | Ask A Gettysburg Guide #112 | with LBG Rich Kohr

More examples

The farmer stores winter fodder in the barn.
Drought leaves little grass to cut for fodder.
She fodders the cattle with hay each morning.

Forms

fodder · fodders · foddered · foddering

Similar words

feed: A broader term covering food supplied to any animals.
forage: Emphasizes plant material grazed by animals or gathered for them.
hay: Specifically dried grass or other plants used as fodder.