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DictionaryingredientComponent
noun

ingredient

in-GREE-dee-uhnt/ɪnˈɡriːdiənt/

A component used in a mixture, recipe, or process.

An egg goes into the bowl as another cake ingredient.

Flour eggs butter and milk beside cake mixing bowl, one egg being added.
Etymology
inLatinin, into
+gredientLatinto step, go

The image is of something “stepping into” a mixture. The Latin participle meant “that which enters into,” describing a substance that goes into a recipe or compound.

In context

Medieval Way3:45
Daub was not just dirt scraped off the ground. It was a recipe, and a careful one, built from three kinds of ingredient doing three different jobs. First, a binder, almost always clay, the sticky element that glues everything together
What Was Wattle and Daub? The Mud-and-Stick Wall That Stood 600 Years

More examples

  • This soup needs only three ingredients: carrots, onions, and stock.
  • Check the shampoo's ingredients if you have sensitive skin.
  • Trust is a key ingredient in a successful partnership.

Forms

ingredient · ingredients

Similar words

component
Often a separate working part, such as a motor.
factor
Influences a result rather than going into a mixture.