English
consume
Consume comes from Latin cōnsūmō ‘to take wholly or completely’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁em-1‘to take, distribute’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁émeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*emō1‘to take’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEemō1‘to buy, take’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsūmō1‘take’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsūmō1‘to take wholly or completely’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400consumer1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500consumen1
- Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599consume1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English consume
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1598–1599, Much Adoe about Nothing: “Therefore, let Benedick, like cover'd fire, / Consume away…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁em-Wiktionary, English consume‘to take, distribute’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁émetiWiktionary, English consumereconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*emōWiktionary, English consume‘to take’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEemōWiktionary, English consume‘to buy, take’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsūmōWiktionary, English consume‘take’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsūmōWiktionary, English consume‘to take wholly or completely’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400consumerWiktionary, English consume
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500consumenWiktionary, English consume
- Englishearliest quotation 1598–1599consumeWiktionary, English consume. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1598–1599, Much Adoe about Nothing: “Therefore, let Benedick, like cover'd fire, / Consume away…”
The story
From Middle English consumen, from Old French consumer, from Latin cōnsūmere, cōnsūmō, from con- (‘with, together’) + sūmō (‘take; consume’), from sub- + emō (‘to buy, take’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- (‘to take, distribute’), possibly related to the root *nem- (‘to take or give one's due’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- ‘to take, distribute’
exempt, pomade, pommel, 56 more
through Proto-Italic *emō ‘to take’
through Latin emō ‘to buy, take’
premium, redemption, redeem, exemption, ransom, preemption, emptor, 42 more
through Latin sūmō ‘take’
assume, assumption, resume, sumptuous, 35 more
through Latin cōnsūmō ‘to take wholly or completely’
Today it means
verb To use up.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “consume”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- / consume