PABULUM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pabulum mean? 

• PABULUM (noun)
  The noun PABULUM has 2 senses:

1. any substance that can be used as food

2. insipid intellectual nourishment

  Familiarity information: PABULUM used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PABULUM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any substance that can be used as food

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

comestible; eatable; edible; pabulum; victual; victuals

Hypernyms ("pabulum" is a kind of...):

food; nutrient (any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pabulum"):

tuck (eatables (especially sweets))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Insipid intellectual nourishment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("pabulum" is a kind of...):

food; food for thought; intellectual nourishment (anything that provides mental stimulus for thinking)

 Context examples 

Even more, we have seen amongst us that he can even grow younger; that his vital faculties grow strenuous, and seem as though they refresh themselves when his special pabulum is plenty.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)