a. Capable of being consumed; that may be destroyed, dissipated, wasted, or spent. “Consumable commodities.” Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Consumed p. pr. & vb. n. Consuming. ] [ L. consumere to take wholly or completely, to consume; con- + sumere to take; sub + emere to buy. See Redeem. ] To destroy, as by decomposition, dissipation, waste, or fire; to use up; to expend; to waste; to burn up; to eat up; to devour. [ 1913 Webster ]

If he were putting to my house the brand
That shall consume it. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume. Matt. vi. 20 (Rev. Ver.). [ 1913 Webster ]

Let me alone . . . that I may consume them. Ex. xxxii. 10.

Syn. -- To destroy; swallow up; ingulf; absorb; waste; exhaust; spend; expend; squander; lavish; dissipate. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To waste away slowly. [ 1913 Webster ]

Therefore, let Benedick, like covered fire,
Consume away in sighs. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. completely used up.
Syn. -- used-up(prenominal), used up(predicate). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. eaten or drunk up. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. Excessively. [ Low ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He's so consumedly proud of it. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who, or that which, consumes; as, the consumer of food. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Econ.) the person or organization that uses some item of commerce or service in its own acitities, as opposed to reselling the item or including it as part of another item for resale; -- called also the end user. [ PJC ]

n. An index of the cost of all goods and services to a typical consumer, calculated and published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics; abbreviated CPI, and usually referred to by that acronym. The Bureau maintains several indices for different groups of consumers, but the most commonly referred to is the index for “All urban consumers”, called the CPI-U. The increase of this value each year is one measure of monetary inflation.
Syn. -- CPI, cost-of-living index. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

☞ For a table of values from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the CPI over time, see CPI-U from 1913 to 1998. [ PJC ]

(Polit. Econ.) Economic goods that directly satisfy human wants or desires, such as food, clothes, pictures, etc.; -- called also consumption goods, or goods of the first order, and opposed to producer's goods. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Polit. econ.) The excess that a purchaser would be willing to pay for a commodity over that he does pay, rather than go without the commodity; -- called also
consumer's rent.

The price which a person pays for a thing can never exceed, and seldom comes up to, that which he would be willing to pay rather than go without it. . . . The excess of the price which he would be willing to pay rather than go without it, over that which he actually does pay, is the economic measure of this surplus satisfaction. It has some analogies to a rent; but is perhaps best called simply consumer's surplus. Alfred Marshall. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

adj. taking up most of one's attention; ardent; as, politics is his consuming passion.
Syn. -- overwhelming. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. In a consuming manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Consummated p. pr. & vb. n. Consummating ] To bring to completion; to raise to the highest point or degree; to complete; to finish; to perfect; to achieve. [ 1913 Webster ]

To consummate this business happily. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. consummatus, p. p. or consummare to accomplish, sum up; con- + summa sum. See Sum. ] Carried to the utmost extent or degree; of the highest quality; complete; perfect. “A man of perfect and consummate virtue.” Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

The little band held the post with consummate tenacity. Motley [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a consummate manner; completely. T. Warton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. consummatio. ] The act of consummating, or the state of being consummated; completion; perfection; termination; end (as of the world or of life). [ 1913 Webster ]

'T is a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

From its original to its consummation. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Quiet consummation have,
And renownéd be thy grave. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Consummation of marriage, completion of the connubial relation by actual cohabition. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Serving to consummate; completing. “The final, the consummative procedure of philosophy.” Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. consumptio: cf. F. consomption. ] 1. The act or process of consuming by use, waste, etc.; decay; destruction. [ 1913 Webster ]

Every new advance of the price to the consumer is a new incentive to him to retrench the quality of his consumption. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state or process of being consumed, wasted, or diminished; waste; diminution; loss; decay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Med.) A progressive wasting away of the body; esp., that form of wasting, attendant upon pulmonary phthisis and associated with cough, spitting of blood, hectic fever, etc.; pulmonary phthisis; -- called also pulmonary consumption. [ 1913 Webster ]

Consumption of the bowels (Med.), inflammation and ulceration of the intestines from tubercular disease.

Syn. -- Decline; waste; decay. See Decline. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. consomptif. ] 1. Of or pertaining to consumption; having the quality of consuming, or dissipating; destructive; wasting. [ 1913 Webster ]

It [ prayer ] is not consumptive or our time. Sharp. [ 1913 Webster ]

A long consumptive war. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) Affected with, or inclined to, consumption. [ 1913 Webster ]

The lean, consumptive wench, with coughs decayed. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One affected with consumption; as, a resort for consumptives. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a way tending to or indication consumption. Beddoes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A state of being consumptive, or a tendency to a consumption. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not consumable; incapable of being consumed, wasted, or spent. Paley. -- In`con*sum"a*bly, adv. [1913 Webster]

a. [ L. inconsummatus. See In- not, and Consummate. ] Not consummated; not finished; incomplete. Sir M. Hale. -- In`con*sum"mate*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

a. [ L. inconsumptibilis. ] Inconsumable. [ Obs. ] Sir K. Digby. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Consuming one's self or itself. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not consummated; not accomplished. [ Obs. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Polit. Econ.) Consumption of less than is produced; consumption of less than the usual amount. F. A. Walker. [ 1913 Webster ]

See accommodating.
See aching.
See ailing.
See aiming.
See alarming.
See altering.
See appreciating.
See approving.
See aspiring.
See assisting.
See attempting.
See attending.
See bearing.
See befitting.
See beginning.
See believing.
See bleaching.
See bleeding.
See blemishing.
See blenching.
See blossoming.
See blushing.
See boding.
See branching.
See breathing.
See burning.
See calculating.
See ceasing.
See changing.
See charming.
See communicating.
See complaining.
See complying.
See conceiving.
See conducing.
See confessing.
See conniving.
See consenting.
See considering.
See conspiring.
See consulting.
See consuming.
See contending.
See contriving.
See conversing.
See convincing.
See dawning.
See decaying.
See delaying.
See depending.
See derogating.
See deserving.
See desiring.
See despairing.
See detesting.
See deviating.
See differencing.
See discerning.
See discording.
See discriminating.
See disobliging.
See dispensing.
See dissembling.
See dissolving.
See distinguishing.
See distracting.
See disturbing.
See doubting.
See dreading.
See drooping.
See ebbing.
See echoing.
See edifying.
See ending.
See enduring.
See engaging.
See enjoying.
See entering.
See enterprising.
See entertaining.
See envying.
See existing.
See fadging.
See fading.
See fainting.
See faltering.
See fearing.
See feigning.
See fighting.
See fitting.
See flagging.
See flattering.
See flinching.
See folding.
See forbearing.
See foreboding.
See foreseeing.
See forgiving.
See giving.
See grudging.
See harming.
See heeding.
See hesitating.
See hoping.
See hurting.
See importing.
See imposing.
See improving.
See interesting.
See intermitting.
See intoxicating.
See inviting.
See jarring.
See laboring.
See lingering.
See listening.
See loving.
See meddling.
See meriting.
See mistrusting.
See moving.
See murmuring.
See obliging.
See observing.
See offending.
See opening.
See pardoning.
See paying.
See perceiving.
See performing.
See perishing.
See pitying.
See pleasing.
See possessing.
See preaching.
See prepossessing.
See presuming.
See pretending.
See prevailing.
See prevaricating.
See profiting.
See promising.
See proving.
See quailing.
See questioning.
See reasoning.
See recalling.
See reclining.
See recurring.
See referring.
See reflecting.
See refunding.
See refusing.
See rejoicing.
See relaxing.
See relishing.
See remembering.
See repenting.
See repining.
See reproving.
See repulsing.
See resisting.
See resolving.
See resting.
See returning.
See rewarding.
See sanctifying.
See satisfying.
See searching.
See seeing.
See setting.
See shrinking.
See sinking.
See sleeping.
See slipping.
See slumbering.
See speaking.
See stinting.
See stirring.
See stooping.
See submitting.
See sufficing.
See suiting.
See surging.
See suspecting.
See sweating.
See swerving.
See sympathizing.
See tasting.
See thriving.
See tiring.
See toiling.
See trading.
See trembling.
See trespassing.
See trifling.
See vacillating.
See varying.
See walking.
See wandering.
See waning.
See wasting.
See wavering.
See weeping.
See winking.
See winning.
See withdrawing.
See withering.
See wondering.
See working.
See writing.
See yielding.
----- and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

The above classes of words are unlimited in extent, and such compounds may be formed by any writer or speaker at will from almost all the adjectives or participles in the language, excepting those which have a recognized and usual negative correspondent with the prefix -in. No attempt will be made, therefore, to define them all in this Dictionary; many will be omitted from its Vocabulary which are negations of the simple word, and are readily explained by prefixing a not to the latter. Derivatives of these words in -ly and -ness will also, for the most part, be omitted for the same or similar reasons. [ 1913 Webster ]

There will be inserted as separate articles with definitions, the following: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Those which have acquired an opposed or contrary, instead of a merely negative, meaning; as, unfriendly, ungraceful, unpalatable, unquiet, and the like; or else an intensive sense more than a prefixed not would express; as, unending, unparalleled, undisciplined, undoubted, unsafe, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those which have the value of independent words, inasmuch as the simple words are either not used at all, or are rarely, or at least much less frequently, used; as, unavoidable, unconscionable, undeniable, unspeakable, unprecedented, unruly, and the like; or inasmuch as they are used in a different sense from the usual meaning of the primitive, or especially in one of the significations of the latter; as, unaccountable, unalloyed, unbelieving, unpretending, unreserved, and the like; or inasmuch as they are so frequently and familiarly used that they are hardly felt to be of negative origin; as, uncertain, uneven, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Those which are anomalous, provincial, or, for some other reason, not desirable to be used, and are so indicated; as, unpure for impure, unsatisfaction for dissatisfaction, unexpressible for inexpressible, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

II. Un- is prefixed to nouns to express the absence of, or the contrary of, that which the noun signifies; as, unbelief, unfaith, unhealth, unrest, untruth, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Compounds of this last class are given in full in their proper order in the Vocabulary. [ 1913 Webster ]