ingrédient

Forms

ingrédient m (plural ingrédients)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin ingrediēns (“entering in”), the present participle of ingredior (“to go into, enter”), used as a noun.^[2][3][4][5] The verb is formed from in- and gradior (“to walk, step”), whose base also appears in gradus (“step”).^[3][6][7] The technical sense probably arose in the Medieval Latin of the apothecaries, though no trace of it has been found there.^[2][4][3] Bloch and Wartburg compare récipient.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1508 in the statutes of the apothecaries, for a component of a remedy.^[2][4][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century Paré writes of la dose des ingrediens and Montaigne of the ingredients of sauces.^[8] Before 1681 the lawyer Patru used it figuratively for whatever helps to bring about a result.^[2][7][3] The word has stayed common in both the concrete and the abstract sense.^[3]

Timeline

• 1508 – First recorded in the apothecaries' statutes.^[2][4]
• 16th century – Paré and Montaigne use it of medicines and sauces.^[8]
• 1668 – Marguerite Buffet prescribes the pronunciation in-gré-di-an.^[8]
• Before 1681 – Patru uses it figuratively.^[2][7]

Meanings

Noun

1. An ingredient, an element that goes into a preparation or mixture: les ingrédients d'un gâteau.^[9][2][7]
2. (figurative) Something that contributes to a result.^[7][3]

Related words

• grade
• degré
• Latin ingredior

Usage notes

Littré records that some speakers said in-gré-diin, wrongly in his view, and that as early as 1668 Marguerite Buffet required in-gré-di-an.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 4, 691a
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert