Feed

Feed is a term with multiple meanings across industries, generally referring to a supply or stream provided to a system. The specific sense depends on context, from food for animals to streams of data or power used by machines.

In agriculture, feed denotes the nutrition given to livestock and poultry. Animal feed may be forage such as hay or silage, grains, or formulated concentrates designed to meet nutrient requirements. The efficiency with which livestock convert feed into product is a common measure in farming.

In information technology and online media, a feed is a stream of data or content delivered to a recipient. Examples include RSS or Atom feeds that syndicate updates, data feeds for stock prices, and social media feeds that present a user’s or follower’s content in a continuously updating list. Feeds can be real-time or delayed and are typically accessed via an API or feed reader.

In broadcasting and finance, feeds distribute news, price quotes, or other content to multiple outlets. A news feed supplies articles and multimedia to websites; a financial feed streams securities quotes, trades, and market data to trading platforms.

In engineering and electronics, feed can describe a current or signal path into a device, such as a power feed or signal feed line, and related connectors designed to pass power or data through enclosures or panels.