What does "food" mean?

1. (sustenance) things that people and animals eat to stay healthy and alive. 2. (mental or spiritual fuel) something that makes you think or gives you energy for your mind.

food — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01sustenance

A1 · Beginner Uncountable noun

n. things that people and animals eat to stay healthy and alive.

n. any substance consumed by living organisms to provide nutritional support and energy. Usually uncountable in this general sense.

“We need to buy some fresh food for the weekend trip.”

“The humanitarian agency worked tirelessly to ensure that emergency food reached the remote villages before the winter snow blocked the mountain passes.”

Synonyms

sustenance nourishment provisions

02mental or spiritual fuel

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. something that makes you think or gives you energy for your mind.

n. anything that provides mental or spiritual nourishment or serves as a source of inspiration. Used figuratively and usually uncountable.

“The professor's lecture provided plenty of food for thought.”

“The documentary provided much-needed food for the soul, reminding the audience of the resilience of the human spirit in times of crisis.”

Synonyms

inspiration fuel stimulus

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “food” in context.

01. food processing 02. food production

From Middle English fode, foode, from Old English fōda (“food”), from Proto-West Germanic fōdō, from Proto-Germanic fōdô (“food”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to guard, graze, feed”). Cognate with Scots fuid (“food”), Low German föde, vöde (“food”), West Frisian fiedsel (“food”), Dutch voedsel (“food”) Danish føde (“food”), Swedish föda (“food”), Icelandic fæða, fæði (“food”), Gothic 𐍆𐍉𐌳𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (fōdeins, “food”), Latin pānis (“bread, food”), Latin pāscō (“feed, nourish”, verb). Related to fodder, foster.

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

NOUN

food(A1)

foodie(B2)

seafood(A2)