con·sump·tive

[kuhn-suhmp-tiv]
adjective
1.
tending to consume; destructive; wasteful.
2.
pertaining to consumption by use.
3.
Pathology.
a.
pertaining to or of the nature of consumption.
b.
disposed to or affected with consumption.
noun
4.
Older Use. a person who suffers from tuberculosis.

Origin:
1375–1425; Middle English: eliminating morbid humors < Medieval Latin consūmptīvus wasteful, destructive; see consumption, -ive

con·sump·tive·ly, adverb
con·sump·tive·ness, noun
non·con·sump·tive, adjective
non·con·sump·tive·ly, adverb
non·con·sump·tive·ness, noun
un·con·sump·tive, adjective
un·con·sump·tive·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To consumptive
00:10
Consumptive is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
consumptive (kənˈsʌmptɪv) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  causing consumption; wasteful; destructive
2.  pathol relating to or affected with consumption, esp tuberculosis of the lungs
 
n
3.  pathol a person who suffers from consumption
 
con'sumptively
 
adv
 
con'sumptiveness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

consumptive
c.1660 (adj.), "wasteful," also with reference to pulmonary consumption, from L. consumpt-, pp. stem of consumere (see consume) + -ive. As a noun, attested from 1660s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

consumptive con·sump·tive (kən-sŭmp'tĭv)
adj.
Of, relating to, or afflicted with consumption.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
Consumptive use will vary with the process used for cooling circulation water.
It usually is difficult to obtain reliable estimates for consumptive use and
  for conveyance loss.
The lungs of a consumptive patient are not in the same condition as yours and
  mine, though they are made on the same plan.
She has the laughs the way a consumptive has the coughs.
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