definitions

consumption

[ kuhn-suhmp-shuhn ]
/ kənˈsʌmp ʃən /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR consumption ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of consuming, as by use, decay, or destruction.
the amount consumed: the high consumption of gasoline.
Economics. the using up of goods and services having an exchangeable value.
Pathology.
  1. Older Use. tuberculosis of the lungs.
  2. progressive wasting of the body.

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RELATED WORDS

expenditure, utilization, drinking, loss, eating, burning, decay, misuse, ruin, devastation, dissipation, damage, dispersion, depletion, decrease, diminution, waste, desolation, exhaustion, destruction

Nearby words

consummated, consummately, consummation, consummatory behavior, consummatory behaviour, consumption, consumption coagulopathy, consumption goods, consumption tax, consumption weed, consumptive

Origin of consumption

1350–1400; Middle English consumpcyon (< Middle French) < Latin consūmptiōn- (stem of consūmptiō) a consuming, wasting, equivalent to consūmpt(us), past participle of consūmere to consume (con- con- + sūmp- (variant stem of sūmere to take up, spend) + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for consumption

British Dictionary definitions for consumption

consumption

/ (kənˈsʌmpʃən) /

noun

the act of consuming or the state of being consumed, esp by eating, burning, etc
economics expenditure on goods and services for final personal use
the quantity consumed
pathol a condition characterized by a wasting away of the tissues of the body, esp as seen in tuberculosis of the lungs

Word Origin for consumption

C14: from Latin consumptiō a wasting, from consūmere to consume
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for consumption

consumption

n.

late 14c., "wasting of the body by disease; wasting disease" (replacing Old English yfeladl "the evil disease"), from Old French consumpcion, from Latin consumptionem (nominative consumptio) "a using up, wasting," noun of state from past participle stem of consumere (see consume). Meaning "the using up of material" is 1530s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for consumption

consumption

[ kən-sŭmp′shən ]

n.

The act or process of using up something.
A progressive wasting of body tissue.
Pulmonary tuberculosis. No longer in technical use.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.