noun
ingredient
One of the substances or elements that make up a mixture or result.
Where it comes from
Ingredient ordinarily means one of the substances or elements that make up a mixture or result. Ingredient comes from Latin ingrediens, the present participle of ingredi, to enter or go into. Ingredi combines in, into, with gradi, to step or go, the same walking family found in grade and gradual. A thing that entered into a mixture became one of its component substances.
How the meaning developed
English then extended the recipe idea beyond matter: patience, trust, or timing can be an ingredient in an outcome.
Sources
Definitions adapted from Open English WordNet where applicable. License and attribution. Word-history text comes from Lexifour’s sourced social research; pages are assembled automatically, not individually fact-checked on every update.
Updated 2026-10-05. Report a correction.