Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Ingredient \In*gre"di*ent\, a.
   Entering as, or forming, an ingredient or component part.

         Acts where no sin is ingredient.         --Jer. Taylor.

Ingredient \In*gre"di*ent\, n. [F. ingr['e]dient, L. ingrediens,
   -entis, entering into, p. pr. of ingredi, p. p. ingressus, to
   go into, to enter; pref. in- in + gradi to walk, go. See
   {Grade}.]
   That which enters into a compound, or is a component part of
   any combination or mixture; an element; a constituent.

         By way of analysis we may proceed from compounds to
         ingredients.                             --Sir I.
                                                  Newton.

         Water is the chief ingredient in all the animal fluids
         and solids.                              --Arbuthnot.

Source : WordNet®

ingredient
     n 1: a component of a mixture or compound
     2: an abstract part of something; "jealousy was a component of
        his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition
        are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a
        sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an
        effective ingredient of a speech" [syn: {component}, {constituent},
         {element}, {factor}]
     3: food that is a component of a mixture in cooking; "the
        recipe lists all the fixings for a salad" [syn: {fixings}]