something that enters as an element into a mixture: Flour, eggs, and sugar are the main ingredients in the cake.
2.
a constituent element of anything; component: the ingredients of political success.
Origin: 1425–75;late Middle English < Latiningredient- (stem of ingrediēns), present participle of ingredī to go or step into, commence, equivalent to in-in-2 + -gredient- going; see gradient
c.1460, from L. ingredientem (nom. ingrediens) "that which enters into" (a compound, recipe, etc.), prp. of ingredi "go in, enter," from in- "in" + gradi "to step, go."