Etymologically
Log in

fiber

Etymology and origin of the English word fiber

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
late 14th century
Ultimate origin
Latin (fibra)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈfaɪ.bə/ (UK); /ˈfaɪ.bɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is from French fibre, with Medieval Latin fibre,[2][3][4] from Latin fibra (“a fibre, filament; entrails”),[2][3] of uncertain origin, perhaps related to fīlum, a thread (see file),[2][3][5] or to findere, to split.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A lobe of the liver, also entrails: the late 14th century in Etymonline;[2] a threadlike part in 1540, as fibre.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

A threadlike structure in animal bodies is from about 1600, and in plants from the 1660s.[2] Figurative use for force or toughness of character is from the 1630s,[2] though Barnhart first records it in 1855.[3] Textile material is from 1827.[2] Fibrous is from 1626, in Bacon,[3] fiberboard from 1897,[2][3] Fiberglas, a United States trademark, from 1937, generic fiberglass by 1941,[2] and fiber optics from 1956.[2][3] Fiber is the usual American spelling.[6]

Timeline

  • late 14th century – a lobe of the liver.[2]
  • 1540 – a threadlike part.[3]
  • c. 1600 – a fibre in the body.[2]
  • 1630s – strength of character.[2]
  • 1827 – textile material.[2]
  • 1937 – Fiberglas.[2]
  • 1956 – fiber optics.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A slender, threadlike structure or object; a filament.
  2. A thread that can be spun into yarn, or a material made of such threads.
  3. One of the long, thick-walled cells that strengthen plant tissue, or an elongated cell in animal tissue, such as a muscle or nerve fiber.
  4. Indigestible plant matter in food; dietary fiber.
  5. Essential character, quality or strength: moral fiber.

Word family

  • fibered
  • fiberless
  • defiber
  • fiberboard
  • fiberfill
  • fiberglass
  • fiberize
  • fiberoptic
  • fibril
  • fibro-
  • fibroblast
  • fibroid
  • fibroma
  • fibrosis
  • fibrositis
  • fibrovascular
  • fibre
  • fibrous
  • file

Usage notes

Fiber is the usual United States spelling, fibre the British.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Fiber.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/fiber. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·