What does fibrous mean?
Fibrous is an adjective describing anything composed of, covered with, or resembling fibres — the long, thin, threadlike strands found in plants, animal tissue, and certain minerals. A coconut's husk is fibrous, as is the tough connective tissue that forms around an injury, and celery owes its distinctive crunch to its fibrous stalks. The word appears frequently in botany (fibrous root systems), medicine (fibrous scar tissue), geology (minerals such as asbestos occur in fibrous form), and nutrition, where it can describe foods rich in dietary fibre. Its connotation depends on context: it is neutral and technical in scientific prose, but in everyday talk about food, calling something fibrous often implies it is tough or stringy rather than pleasant to eat. Derived from Latin fibra, meaning a small filament or thread, fibrous entered English in the seventeenth century and remains a precise, widely understood way to describe texture and structure across many fields.
Consisting of or characterized by fibres; having a stringy, threadlike structure.
"The mineral occurs naturally in long, fibrous crystals."
In medical contexts, fibrous often refers specifically to tissue rich in collagen, such as scar or connective tissue.
(Of food) rich in dietary fibre; or, less favourably, tough and stringy to eat.
"A fibrous breakfast cereal helps keep your digestion regular."
When applied to meat or vegetables at the table, fibrous usually carries a negative sense of toughness.
Fibrous comes straight from the Latin word for a single thread — the same root behind 'fibre' — making it one of the oldest weaving words in English.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fibrous
Fibrous derives from the Latin fibra, meaning a small fibre, filament, or thread. It entered English in the early seventeenth century, likely formed from fibre with the adjectival suffix -ous. The same Latin root gives English fibre/fiber, fibril, and fibrin, and may be related to filum ('thread'), which produced words such as file and filament.
Related word forms
How fibrous is actually used
Neutral in register and common in both scientific writing and everyday speech. In botanical and medical contexts it is a precise technical descriptor; in everyday use it can carry a mildly negative connotation when describing food that is tough or unpleasantly stringy to eat.
Easily confused with fibrous
Vibrant means full of energy or colour, while fibrous describes something made of or containing fibres — they merely share a similar rhythm and ending.