English Reference
noun · verb

fodder

n. · v.
US /ˈfɑdɝ/ UK /fˈɒdɐ/ fod·der UK spelling foddered, fodders

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    n.dried food, such as hay or straw, given to farm animals like cows and horses.

    n.bulk food for livestock, typically consisting of dried hay, straw, or silage.

    Simple

    The farmer stored plenty of fodder in the barn to keep the cattle fed through the winter.

    In context

    During the drought, the price of fodder skyrocketed, forcing many local ranchers to sell off their herds earlier than planned.

  2. 02 C2 Proficiency Dialect

    v.to give food to farm animals.

    v.to provide livestock with fodder; primarily used in regional or agricultural contexts.

    Simple

    He went out to the fields early in the morning to fodder the sheep.

    In context

    In the remote valley, the traditional practice of foddering the cattle by hand remained unchanged for generations.

The regular fodder enemies are almost like the mobs in a MOBA game (like League of Legends) – they’re a means to an end, a resource to be farmed as quickly as possible.

The Guardian· 20 Aug 2026

From Middle English fodder, foder, from Old English fōdor (“feed; fodder”), from Proto-West Germanic fōdr, from Proto-Germanic fōdrą, from fōdô (“food”), from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- (“to guard, graze, feed”). Compare Saterland Frisian Fodder, West Frisian foer, Dutch voer (“pasture; fodder”), German Futter (“fodder; feed”), Danish foder, Swedish foder. More at food.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin ine-pro *peh₂-
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated