food
/fuːd/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*fōdô — food, nourishment
Overview
Meaning Now
- Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plants absorb, in order to maintain life and growth.
- Solid nourishment as distinguished from liquid food or drink.
Literal older meaning
fodder, nourishment
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
fōda
Earliest period
Old English (circa 10th century)
Journey
The word is part of a large family of Germanic terms related to feeding and cattle-rearing, derived from the same Proto-Indo-European root that gave rise to 'feed', 'fodder', and 'foster'.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*fōdô
“nourishment”
- Old English
fōda
“food, sustenance”
- Middle English
fode
“food, provisions”
- Modern English
food
“nutritious substance”
Connections
Word parts
food
root
nourishment
Related across languages
Old Norse
fōðr
food
Old High German
fuotar
fodder
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Related to food
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.