feeder
feeder Lexical Profile
feeder Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A container, trough, or device designed to supply food or water to birds, livestock, or other animals.
"We hung a glass hummingbird feeder outside the kitchen window to attract wildlife."
A person or animal that eats in a specified manner, or a person who feeds someone or something else.
"The crab is a bottom feeder that scavenges for organic matter along the ocean floor."
A tributary stream, secondary road, local airline, or subordinate institution that supplies water, traffic, or recruits to a larger main system.
"The local community college serves as a primary feeder for the state university system."
A mechanical component that automatically supplies raw material, paper, or parts into a machine for processing, or a main electrical transmission line.
"The office printer jammed because too many sheets were loaded into the automatic document feeder."
• Rhymes for feeder
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English as 'federe' from the verb 'feed' (Old English 'fēdan', meaning to nourish or sustain) combined with the agentive suffix '-er'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.