INGREDIENT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does ingredient mean? 

• INGREDIENT (noun)
  The noun INGREDIENT has 3 senses:

1. a component of a mixture or compound

2. an abstract part of something

3. food that is a component of a mixture in cooking

  Familiarity information: INGREDIENT used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INGREDIENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A component of a mixture or compound

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("ingredient" is a kind of...):

component; constituent; element (an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ingredient"):

admixture; intermixture (an additional ingredient that is added by mixing with the base)

base (the principal ingredient of a mixture)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An abstract part of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

component; constituent; element; factor; ingredient

Context example:

humor: an effective ingredient of a speech

Hypernyms ("ingredient" is a kind of...):

division; part; section (one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ingredient"):

be-all and end-all; be all and end all (the essential factor; the all-important element; the supreme aim)

plot element (a component or element of the plot of a story)

point (a geometric element that has position but no extension)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Food that is a component of a mixture in cooking

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

fixings; ingredient

Context example:

the recipe lists all the fixings for a salad

Hypernyms ("ingredient" is a kind of...):

food product; foodstuff (a substance that can be used or prepared for use as food)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ingredient"):

flavorer; flavoring; flavourer; flavouring; seasoner; seasoning (something added to food primarily for the savor it imparts)

tomato paste (thick concentrated tomato puree)

albumen; egg white; ovalbumin; white (the white part of an egg; the nutritive and protective gelatinous substance surrounding the yolk consisting mainly of albumin dissolved in water)

egg yolk; yolk (the yellow spherical part of an egg that is surrounded by the albumen)

malted milk (powder made of dried milk and malted cereals)

Holonyms ("ingredient" is a part of...):

dish (a particular item of prepared food)

 Context examples 

A new study reveals asteroid impacts on ancient Mars could have produced key ingredients for life if the Martian atmosphere was rich in hydrogen.

(Asteroids, Hydrogen Make Great Recipe for Life on Mars, NASA)

In a paper published in 2015, researchers proposed that cyanide, although a deadly poison, was in fact a key ingredient in the primordial soup from which all life on Earth originated.

(Scientists identify exoplanets where life could develop as it did on Earth, University of Cambridge)

If you can make a cake that tastes like the original slice, then you chose the right ingredients.

(Experiments recreate aromatic flavors of Titan, NASA)

However, this stellar mix is not the only ingredient.

(Chandra Samples Galactic Goulash, NASA)

However, their ingredients can vary substantially and there is limited research on their health effects, she said.

(Sugary Fruit Juices May Increase Risk of Early Death, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

This term does not refer to the individual ingredients that make up the product.

(Medication, NCI Thesaurus)

The act of producing active pharmaceutical ingredients from raw materials.

(API Manufacture, NCI Thesaurus)

This could make graphene-integrated devices the key ingredient in the evolution of 5G, the Internet-of-Things (IoT), and Industry 4.0.

(Graphene may exceed bandwidth demands of future telecommunications, University of Cambridge)

This strong radar reflection was interpreted by the study's authors as liquid water — one of the most important ingredients for life in the Universe.

(Possible Subsurface Lake near Martian South Pole, NASA)

I now felt that an elderly lady was no bad ingredient in the business I had on hand.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)