roughage

[ ruhf-ij ]

noun

1. rough or coarse material.
2. any coarse, rough food for livestock.
3. fiber ( def 9 ).

roughage

/ ˈrʌfɪdʒ /

noun

1. the coarse indigestible constituents of food or fodder, which provide bulk to the diet and promote normal bowel function See also dietary fibre
2. any rough or coarse material

Word History and Origins

Origin of roughage¹

First recorded in 1880–85; rough + -age

Example Sentences

Raw honey in its purest form would be the honeycomb which is edible and filled with natural vitamin A and also is a source of roughage.

From Salon

Although this heap of roughage looks as if it should be taken for medicinal purposes only, the greens have lost their ferocious raw quality after being thoroughly kneaded with a Caesar-like dressing.

From New York Times

It's a time when we focus on our "beach bodies": We're in and out of the gym and then right over to our favorite restaurant for that big bowl of summer roughage.

From Salon

Over the eight miles of the Bike-to-Sea path between Malden and Lynn’s winding seaside boulevard there were at least a half dozen trees down, precipitating all types of inventive bypasses: under, over and basically through the roughage.

From New York Times

But salads are the perfect pairing for Puerto Rican dishes — they balance the richness with roughage — so I often pair these recipes with a simple salad of mixed greens, avocado, tomatoes and hearts of palm in a cilantro vinaigrette.

From New York Times