roughage means originally (archaic), garbage, rubbish, or waste; later (agriculture) the portions of a crop which are discarded, such as husks, stalks, etc.; also, agricultural waste such as weeds.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, roughage ranks #1,028 of 20,662 for Qualifying.
roughage is pronounced /ˈɹʌfɪd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
From rough (“not smooth; crude, unrefined”) + -age (suffix forming nouns with the sense of appurtenance or collection).
noun
- Originally (archaic), garbage, rubbish, or waste; later (agriculture) the portions of a crop which are discarded, such as husks, stalks, etc.; also, agricultural waste such as weeds.
- Coarse or rough plant material such as hay and silage used as animal fodder.
- Substances, generally of plant origin, consisting mostly of complex carbohydrates which are undigested when eaten by humans, and which therefore help the passage of food and waste through the alimentary tract; dietary fibre.“I keep telling her not to eat all that roughage for brekky; prunes, bran, and baked beans.”