A feeder is something that supplies or provides a steady flow of something else to a larger system.

In nature, a bird feeder holds seeds that birds can eat whenever they visit your yard. The feeder doesn't create the birds or force them to come; it just makes food available so birds keep returning. A cattle feeder works similarly, holding hay or grain for livestock.

The word extends beyond food, though. In transportation, a feeder road connects neighborhoods to a main highway, channeling cars from smaller streets onto bigger ones. A feeder school prepares students for a larger or more advanced school; elementary schools often serve as feeder schools for particular middle schools.

In sports, feeder leagues develop young talent for professional teams. Minor league baseball functions as a feeder system for Major League Baseball, giving players a place to improve their skills before moving up.

The key idea is that a feeder continuously supplies something to keep a larger system running. Think of how tributaries feed a river, or how practice problems feed your understanding of math. The feeder is the smaller source that keeps the bigger thing going, like branches feeding a tree or warm-up exercises feeding your performance in a game.