fiber

Almost all fabrics, muscle structures, and even vegetables are composed of some sort of fiber, the noun meaning a long, thread-like substance.

The word fiber is sometimes associated with moral character in a similar way that it is related to the physical material. The moral fiber of a person might be the thing that weaves together their character to make them the ethical (or unethical) person they are. For example, you might guess that the televangelist who asks for money from the elderly poor, but has a fancy sports car for every day of the week lacks moral fiber.

Definitions of fiber
  1. noun
    a slender and greatly elongated substance capable of being spun into yarn
    synonyms: fibre
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    types:
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    beard, byssus
    tuft of strong filaments by which e.g. a mussel makes itself fast to a fixed surface
    bristle
    a stiff fiber (coarse hair or filament); natural or synthetic
    glass fiber, glass fibre, optical fiber, optical fibre
    a very thin fiber made of glass that functions as a waveguide for light; used in bundles to transmit images
    nerve fiber, nerve fibre
    a threadlike extension of a nerve cell
    spindle
    (biology) tiny fibers that are seen in cell division; the fibers radiate from two poles and meet at the equator in the middle
    loofa, loofah, loufah sponge, luffa
    the dried fibrous part of the fruit of a plant of the genus Luffa; used as a washing sponge or strainer
    Cebu maguey, cantala, manila maguey
    hard fiber used in making coarse twine; from Philippine agave plants
    bassine
    coarse leaf fiber from palmyra palms used in making brushes and brooms
    coir
    stiff coarse fiber from the outer husk of a coconut
    raffia
    fiber of a raffia palm used as light cordage and in making hats and baskets
    string
    a tough piece of fiber in vegetables, meat, or other food (especially the tough fibers connecting the two halves of a bean pod)
    fibril, filament, strand
    a very slender natural or synthetic fiber
    lint
    fine ravellings of cotton or linen fibers
    man-made fiber, synthetic fiber
    fiber created from natural materials or by chemical processes
    natural fiber, natural fibre
    fiber derived from plants or animals
    oakum
    loose hemp or jute fiber obtained by unravelling old ropes; when impregnated with tar it was used to caulk seams and pack joints in wooden ships
    raveling, ravelling
    a bit of fiber that has become separated from woven fabric
    barb
    one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather
    cobweb, gossamer
    filaments from a web that was spun by a spider
    chromatid
    one of two identical strands into which a chromosome splits during mitosis
    myofibril, myofibrilla, sarcostyle
    one of many contractile filaments that make up a striated muscle fiber
    medullated nerve fiber, myelinated nerve fiber
    a nerve fiber encased in a sheath of myelin
    effector
    a nerve fiber that terminates on a muscle or gland and stimulates contraction or secretion
    axon, axone
    long nerve fiber that conducts away from the cell body of the neuron
    dendrite
    short fiber that conducts toward the cell body of the neuron
    efferent fiber, motor fiber
    a nerve fiber that carries impulses toward the muscles or glands
    afferent fiber, sensory fiber
    a nerve fiber that carries impulses toward the central nervous system
    pandanus
    fiber from leaves of the pandanus tree; used for woven articles (such as mats)
    New Zealand cotton
    a fiber from the bast of New Zealand ribbon trees that resembles cotton fiber
    bowstring hemp
    strong fiber that resembles hemp; obtained from sansevieria and used for e.g. cordage
    rhizoid
    any of various slender filaments that function as roots in mosses and ferns and fungi etc
    hypha
    any of the threadlike filaments forming the mycelium of a fungus
    paraphysis
    a sterile simple or branched filament or hair borne among sporangia; may be pointed or clubbed
    bast, bast fiber
    strong woody fibers obtained especially from the phloem of from various plants
    animal fiber, animal fibre
    fiber derived from animals
    plant fiber, plant fibre
    fiber derived from plants
    acrylic, acrylic fiber
    polymerized from acrylonitrile
    nylon
    a thermoplastic polyamide; a family of strong resilient synthetic fibers
    staple, staple fiber, staple fibre
    a natural fiber (raw cotton, wool, hemp, flax) that can be twisted to form yarn
    type of:
    material, stuff
    the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
  2. noun
    a leatherlike material made by compressing layers of paper or cloth
    synonyms: fibre, vulcanized fiber
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    type of:
    cloth, fabric, material, textile
    artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
  3. noun
    any of several elongated, threadlike cells (especially a muscle fiber or a nerve fiber)
    synonyms: fibre
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    types:
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    muscle cell, muscle fiber, muscle fibre
    an elongated contractile cell that forms the muscles of the body
    nerve fiber, nerve fibre
    a threadlike extension of a nerve cell
    striated muscle cell, striated muscle fiber
    an elongated contractile cell in striated muscle tissue
    smooth muscle cell
    cells of the smooth muscles
    medullated nerve fiber, myelinated nerve fiber
    a nerve fiber encased in a sheath of myelin
    effector
    a nerve fiber that terminates on a muscle or gland and stimulates contraction or secretion
    axon, axone
    long nerve fiber that conducts away from the cell body of the neuron
    dendrite
    short fiber that conducts toward the cell body of the neuron
    efferent fiber, motor fiber
    a nerve fiber that carries impulses toward the muscles or glands
    afferent fiber, sensory fiber
    a nerve fiber that carries impulses toward the central nervous system
    type of:
    cell
    (biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals
  4. noun
    the inherent complex of attributes that determines a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions
    synonyms: character, fibre
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    types:
    spirit
    a fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character
    braveness, bravery, courage, courageousness
    a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
    cowardice, cowardliness
    the trait of lacking courage
    type of:
    trait
    a distinguishing feature of your personal nature
  5. noun
    coarse, indigestible plant food low in nutrients; its bulk stimulates intestinal peristalsis
    synonyms: fibre, roughage
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    types:
    bran
    food prepared from the husks of cereal grains
    type of:
    food product, foodstuff
    a substance that can be used or prepared for use as food
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