English Lexicon

Food Chain

/fuːd tʃeɪn/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #1500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.

    "In a forest ecosystem, the food chain starts with plants, which are eaten by herbivores, and then by carnivores."
  2. 2

    The hierarchical system of feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

    "The food chain illustrates how energy flows from producers to various levels of consumers."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The term 'food chain' originates from the combination of 'food', derived from Old English 'fōda', meaning nourishment, and 'chain', from Latin 'catena', meaning a series of interconnected links. The concept evolved in ecological studies during the 20th century to describe the transfer of energy and nutrients through various organisms in an ecosystem.

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10 Global Lexicons: How "Food Chain" is said worldwide

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🇫🇷French → English

chaîne alimentaire

Transliteration: ʃɛn alimenˈtɛʁ

"La chaîne alimentaire montre comment l'énergie se déplace dans un écosystème."

🇩🇪German → English

Nahrungsnetz

Transliteration: ˈnaːʁʊŋsˌnɛt͡s

"Das Nahrungsnetz beschreibt die Beziehungen zwischen verschiedenen Organismen."

🇮🇹Italian → English

catena alimentare

Transliteration: kaˈteːna aliˈmenˈtare

"La catena alimentare è fondamentale per comprendere gli ecosistemi."

🇪🇸Spanish → English

cadena alimentaria

Transliteration: kaˈðena aliˈmentaɾja

"La cadena alimentaria ilustra cómo fluye la energía en un ecosistema."

🇵🇹Portuguese → English

cadeia alimentar

Transliteration: kaˈdeɪɐ aliˈmẽtaʁ

"A cadeia alimentar é essencial para entender os ecossistemas."

🇮🇳Hindi → English

खाद्य श्रृंखला

Transliteration: khādya śṛṅkhalā

"खाद्य श्रृंखला पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र में ऊर्जा के प्रवाह को दर्शाती है।"

🇨🇳Chinese → English

食物链

Transliteration: shíwù liàn

"食物链展示了生态系统中能量的流动。"

🇰🇷Korean → English

먹이 사슬

Transliteration: meogi saseul

"먹이 사슬은 생태계에서 에너지가 흐르는 방식을 보여줍니다."

🇯🇵Japanese → English

食物連鎖

Transliteration: shokubutsu rensa

"食物連鎖は生態系におけるエネルギーの流れを示しています。"

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