consumption
English meaning: Consumption
Definition
The act of eating, drinking or using.
Example
“The consumption of snails as food is more common in France than in England.”
Another example: “The doctor advised reducing his consumption of salt and sugar.”
Usage — When, Where & How
Formal to neutral; used in economics, environment, health and nutrition for the using-up of goods, energy or resources, or the act of eating or drinking. Also a dated term for tuberculosis ('consumption').
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Latin 'consumptio', from 'consumere' (to use up), from 'con-' + 'sumere' (to take); 14th century, with the tuberculosis sense from the 16th century.
Synonyms
- use
- expenditure
- uptake
- intake
- usance
- phthisis
- ingestion
- pulmonary tuberculosis
- white plague
- wasting disease
Antonyms / Opposites
Related Words
- kwh
- beverages
- alcohol
- alcoholic
- consume
- emissions
- consumed
- expenditure
- meat
- renewable
Common Collocations
- energy consumption
- fuel consumption
- alcohol consumption
- mass consumption
- reduce consumption
- human consumption
Word Forms
consumption (n); consume (v); consumed; consumer (n); consumable (adj)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B