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.
Origin
1425-75;late Middle English < Latiningredient- (stem of ingrediēns), present participle of ingredī to go or step into, commence, equivalent to in-in-2 + -gredient- going; see gradient
The company gave a brighter outlook for its fiscal year in anticipation of a drop in ingredient costs.
Collaboration is the key ingredient in creating new programs in computational science, say academics in the field.
Equity buybacks are a crucial ingredient of efficient capital markets.
The small, scaled bugs are listed as cochineal extract on the ingredient list.
The key ingredient of the superglue that mussels use to attach themselves to rocks, boats and piers is iron, scientists say.
The key ingredient is limestone, mostly calcium carbonate, the remains of shelled marine creatures.
Garlic paste is a key ingredient in salad dressings, rubs, and marinades.
Hardware is a crucial ingredient in the service, but it's only a piece of it.
The poisonous ingredient is phenothiazine, which may be found in a variety of medications.
The central ingredient for both, though, was whether the students actually give a rat's behind about intellectual climate.
British Dictionary definitions for ingredient
ingredient
/ɪnˈɡriːdɪənt/
noun
1.
a component of a mixture, compound, etc, esp in cooking
Word Origin
C15: from Latin ingrediēns going into, from ingredī to enter; see ingress
Word Origin and History for ingredient
n.
early 15c., from Latin ingredientem (nominative ingrediens) "that which enters into" (a compound, recipe, etc.), present participle of ingredi "go in, enter," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + gradi "to step, go" (see grade).