consumptive
UK[kənˈsʌmptɪv]US[kənˈsʌmptɪv]
adj
Relating to or suffering from a wasting disease, especially pulmonary tuberculosis.
adj
Tending to consume or use up resources; wasteful.
Morpheme Breakdown
con
sumpt
ive
con
together, with, thoroughly
sumpt
to take, use up, consume
ive
tending to, having the nature of
Etymology
The word 'consumptive' has a direct lineage from Latin. It is built on the past participial stem 'sumpt-' of the verb 'sumere', meaning 'to take up, use, consume'. The intensive prefix 'con-' (from 'com-') was added to form 'consumere', meaning 'to take completely, use up, devour'. The English adjective was formed by appending the suffix '-ive', which denotes a tendency or quality. Historically, its primary medical sense emerged because tuberculosis was perceived as a disease that 'consumed' or wasted the body from within, linking the literal act of consumption to a pathological process.
Analysis
Structure: con + sumpt + ive
- con: Latin origin, a variant of 'com-' meaning 'together, with, thoroughly'. It functions as an intensifying prefix.
- sumpt: Latin origin, from the stem of 'sumere' meaning 'to take, use up, consume'. It functions as the core root.
- ive: Latin origin, suffix '-ivus' forming adjectives meaning 'tending to, having the nature of'. It functions as an adjective-forming suffix.
Examples
In the 19th century, a pale, thin appearance was often romantically associated with the consumptive artist.
The project's consumptive use of electricity made it environmentally unsustainable.
Old medical texts frequently described the characteristic cough of a consumptive patient.