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fiber

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Etymology and origin of the English word fiber

Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1370–1399 More words from the 14th century
Borrowed from
French fibre
Ultimate origin
Latin fibra
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin fibra
French fibre
English fiber
The word's journey
From the same root
Latin fimbriae ← fibra

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈfaɪ.bə/[1]
  • US: /ˈfaɪ.bɚ/[1]

Forms

Etymology

It is borrowed 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

Usage notes

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

References

  1. ^ a b 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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Fiber.” Etymologically, 6 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/fiber. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·