The type of food that a person or animal regularly eats

Meals and cookery

Vocabulary notes

1. Food

Words meaning food

Food – what people eat in order to grow and stay alive [nC/U]

Example: The carbohydrates, fats and proteins in food provide us with energy.

Fast food (= food that is prepared and served quickly to customers) a new chain of fast food outlets. Junk food (= food that is not very healthy and is always prepared so that you can eat immediately).

Example: You shouldn’t eat all that junk food, it’s bad for you.

Health food (= a special kind of food that people eat because they think it is good for their health).

Example: ‘Celestial Seasonings Teas’ are available at your local food store.

Something to eat – an expression used especially in spoken English, meaning some food, often a small meal that you eat quickly [n phrase]

Example: Have I got time for something to eat before we go out?

Grub – an informal word meaning food [n U]

Example: Where is the grub? I’m starving.

Refreshments – food and drink which is served at a public meeting, a performance, or on a long train journey [n pl]

Example: Mrs Thompson has kindly offered to provide the refreshments for the school sports day.

Light refreshments (= a small quantity of food). Example: There will be an interval half way through the performance when light refreshments will be served.

Nourishment – the things that are needed for life which you get from food [n U].

Example: The foetus gets nourishment via the mother’s blood supply.

Foodstuffs – a word used especially in business or economics meaning particular types of food [n pl]

Example: Romania is experiencing shortages of foodstuffs and important raw materials.

Food for animals

Food - [nU]

Example: New-born birds stay in their nest while their mother goes out in search of food. Cat/dog etc food: The cat food was so disgusting Tiddles wouldn’t eat it.

Fodder – food for farm animals, especially cattle and horse [n U]

Example: All the left-over crops and chopped up and used as cattle fodder.

Feed – chichen/hen/animal etc feed (= food for birds or animals, especially in the form of grain) [n U]

Example: A large part of our income goes on animal feed.

The type of food that a person or animal regularly eats

Diet – [n U]

Example: Many health problems can be cured by changing your diet.

Balanced diet (= a good mixture of health foods).

Example: Exercise and a well-balanced diet keeps you fit and healthy.

Staple diet (= a main diet consisting of one or two basic foods).

Example: People in the coastal region live on a staple food of rice and fish.

Diet of: During their training, soldiers learn training, soldiers learn how to survive on a diet of fruit, nuts and animals they have killed and cooked themselves.