Cellulose vs. Fiber — What's the Difference?

Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula (C6H10O5)n, a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell wall of green plants, many forms of algae and the oomycetes.

Fiber or fibre (from Latin: fibra) is a natural or man-made substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials.

A polysaccharide, (C6H10O5)n, that is composed of glucose monomers and is the main constituent of the cell walls of plants. It is used in the manufacture of numerous products, including paper, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and insulation.

A slender, elongated, threadlike object or structure.

A complex carbohydrate that forms the main constituent of the cell wall in most plants and is important in the manufacture of numerous products, such as paper, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and explosives.

(Botany) One of the elongated, thick-walled cells that give strength and support to plant tissue.

(organic compound) A polysaccharide containing many glucose units in parallel chains.

Any of the filaments constituting the extracellular matrix of connective tissue.

Consisting of, or containing, cells.

Any of various elongated cells or threadlike structures, especially a muscle fiber or a nerve fiber.

Consisting of, or containing, cells.

A natural or synthetic filament, as of cotton or nylon, capable of being spun into yarn.

The substance which constitutes the essential part of the solid framework of plants, of ordinary wood, cotton, linen, paper, etc. It is also found to a slight extent in certain animals, as the tunicates. It is a carbohydrate, (C6H10O5)n, isomeric with starch, and is convertible into starches and sugars by the action of heat and acids. When pure, it is a white amorphous mass. See Starch, Granulose, Lignin.

Material made of such filaments.

A polysaccharide that is the chief constituent of all plant tissues and fibers

An essential element of a person's character

Strength of character; fortitude

Coarse, indigestible plant matter, consisting primarily of polysaccharides such as cellulose, that when eaten stimulates intestinal peristalsis. Also called bulk, roughage.

(countable) A single elongated piece of a given material, roughly round in cross-section, often twisted with other fibers to form thread.

(uncountable) A material in the form of fibers.

(textiles) A material whose length is at least 1000 times its width.

Dietary fiber.

(figuratively) Moral strength and resolve.

(mathematics) The preimage of a given point in the range of a map.

(category theory) The pullback of a morphism along a global element (called the fiber of the morphism over the global element).

(computing) A kind of lightweight thread of execution.

(cytology) A long tubular cell found in bodily tissue.

One of the delicate, threadlike portions of which the tissues of plants and animals are in part constituted; as, the fiber of flax or of muscle.

Any fine, slender thread, or threadlike substance; as, a fiber of spun glass; especially, one of the slender rootlets of a plant.

The inherent complex of attributes that determine a person's moral and ethical actions and reactions; sinew; strength; toughness; as, a man of real fiber.

A general name for the raw material, such as cotton, flax, hemp, etc., used in textile manufactures.

That portion of food composed of carbohydrates which are completely or partly indigestible, such as cellulose or pectin; it may be in an insoluble or a soluble form. It provides bulk to the solid waste and stimulates peristalsis in the intestine. It is found especially in grains, fruits, and vegetables. There is some medical evidence which indicates that diets high in fiber reduce the risk of colon cancer and reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. It is also called dietary fiber, roughage, or bulk.

A leatherlike material made by compressing layers of paper or cloth.

A slender and greatly elongated solid substance

The inherent complex of attributes that determine a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions;

A leatherlike material made by compressing layers of paper or cloth