noun
food
FOOD/fuːd/
Something consumed for nourishment.
Grains, fruit, vegetables, and beans provide a nourishing assortment of food.
Etymology
Old English foda meant nourishment as well as fuel. In the selected sense, food preserves the older meaning of something eaten to sustain life.
In context
animals normally need plenty of food to survive. But during cold winter months, lots of the food that animals like to eat goes away.
More examples
- The refrigerator keeps our food fresh.
- Birds search for food beneath the snow.
- The market sells foods from many countries.
Forms
food · foods
Similar words
- nourishment
- Emphasizes what sustains the body, not particular items.
- sustenance
- Emphasizes what supports life rather than particular foods.