Word of the Day

: September 30, 2009

pabulum

noun PAB-yuh-lum

What It Means

1 : food; especially : a suspension or solution of nutrients in a state suitable for absorption

2 : intellectual sustenance

3 : something (as writing or speech) that is insipid, simplistic, or bland

pabulum in Context

The discovery provides pabulum for the scientific community to ruminate on for decades to come.

Did You Know?

"Pabulum" derives from the Latin term for "food" or "fodder" and was first used in English in the 18th century for anything taken in by plants or animals to maintain life and growth. Within 30 years of its first appearance in English texts, it was also being used to refer to things so intellectually stimulating or nourishing that they could be considered food for thought. But the word took on a whole new flavor in the 1930s when a team of Canadian doctors formulated a highly nutritious (but bland) baby cereal and named their product "Pablum" (based on the Latin word). As a result, the similar-looking "pabulum" did a linguistic about-face and is now often used for things that are bland and unstimulating as well as for things that are intellectually sustaining.