fibre

American  

[fahy-ber] / ˈfaɪ bər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a variant of fiber.

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fibre British  

/ ˈfaɪbə /

noun

1. a natural or synthetic filament that may be spun into yarn, such as cotton or nylon

2. cloth or other material made from such yarn

3. a long fine continuous thread or filament

4. the structure of any material or substance made of or as if of fibres; texture

5. essential substance or nature

   all the fibres of his being were stirred

6. strength of character (esp in the phrase moral fibre )

7. See dietary fibre

8. botany

   1. a narrow elongated thick-walled cell: a constituent of sclerenchyma tissue

   2. such tissue extracted from flax, hemp, etc, used to make linen, rope, etc

   3. a very small root or twig

9. anatomy any thread-shaped structure, such as a nerve fibre

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Other Word Forms

• fibred adjective
• fibreless adjective

Etymology

Origin of fibre

C14: from Latin fibra filament, entrails

Example Sentences

Common insulation materials include fibreglass, non-combustible mineral wool, foam boards and natural fibre such as wood or cork.

From BBC

WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala explained: "Currently, 98 percent of the region's cotton is exported as raw fibre; the goal is to change that."

From Barron's

She insisted on using hemp fibres, although that would take longer to install.

From BBC

The work will also connect with the SAFAtor project, which is exploring how optic fibre cables can be used to improve early warning systems for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

From Science Daily

Some 2,700 people are diagnosed with the aggressive cancer in the UK each year, with the principal cause being the inhalation of asbestos fibres.

From BBC