ingredient

[ in-gree-dee-uhnt ]

noun

1. something that enters as an element into a mixture:

   Flour, eggs, and sugar are the main ingredients in the cake.

2. a constituent element of anything; component:

   the ingredients of political success.

ingredient

/ ɪnˈɡriːdɪənt /

noun

1. a component of a mixture, compound, etc, esp in cooking

Word History and Origins

Origin of ingredient¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English from Latin ingredient- (stem of ingrediēns ), present participle of ingredī “to go or step into, commence,” equivalent to in- in- ² + -gredient- “going”; gradient

Word History and Origins

Origin of ingredient¹

C15: from Latin ingrediēns going into, from ingredī to enter; see ingress

Synonym Study

See element.

Example Sentences

We mix and match ingredients and spices from around the world.

From Washington Post

For a special occasion, drive north to Kapalua and Merriman’s, where locally sourced ingredients like vine-ripened tomatoes and line-caught mahi mahi steal the show.

From Washington Post

When tapped, you’re directed to a Whisk page where you can view recipe photos, see ingredients and choose to save the recipe to your own collection, if you’re a Whisk user.

From TechCrunch

Samantha would treat herself to the proper ingredients for a proper Manhattan.

From Washington Post

This lower heat is great for ingredients that take longer to cook or are thicker, and that would burn on the outside without cooking through at a higher temperature.

From Eater

Even his signature instrument, Auto-Tune, has become as accepted an ingredient in hip-hop as the drum machine.

From The Daily Beast

One key ingredient of the stuff: Propylene glycol, a synthetic liquid that absorbs water.

From The Daily Beast

Or what if an ingredient in your beer or cocktail machines has gone bad without knowing it?

From The Daily Beast

Turmeric is a household spice in South Asia and a common ingredient in many curries.

From The Daily Beast

Truth is, the more immersed we are in our careers, the more important the ingredient in our social diet.

From The Daily Beast

It matters not how great the velocity of his movements, time is an essential ingredient to all motion, whether rapid or slow.

From Project Gutenberg

“The chief ingredient in that stuff is rum,” she avowed to me as we walked home, stretching up her neck in displeasure.

From Project Gutenberg

More or less solution may be made by using the proper proportion of each ingredient.

From Project Gutenberg

But in that case the new monopoly will still lack the one vital ingredient: the power to fix prices.

From Project Gutenberg

Tambal sa ubu nga may sambug nga makapakatúlug, Cough medicine that has an ingredient that will put you to sleep.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• additive
• element
• factor
• piece