A substance used to fill gaps or spaces, or something used to occupy space or time when more substantial content is unavailable.
From the verb 'fill' (Old English 'fyllan') plus the agent suffix '-er'. The sense of padding content to meet requirements developed in the 20th century with mass media.
In journalism, 'filler' originally referred to short items used to fill empty column space in newspapers, but the term has expanded to describe any content perceived as lacking substance. Interestingly, some of history's most beloved features started as filler - crossword puzzles were invented in 1913 to fill empty newspaper space.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.