Obs. [a. F. consume-r, variant form of consummer, consommer, ad. L. consummāre to CONSUMMATE; cf. CONSOMME.
The proper F. repr. of L. consummāre is consommer (14th c. in Littré), but this was often spelt after its L. original, consummer, and by consonant-simplification consumer. It was thus brought into association with L. consūmĕre; the senses of the two verbs came also into contact in the notion ‘finish, constructively or destructively,’ and during 15–16th c. both were entirely merged in the forms consommer, consummer, consumer. Subsequently they have been partly differentiated; but consommer with its derivatives consommation, etc., still retains the sense of ‘consume victuals,’ which belongs etymologically to consumer. Cf. CONSUMATION. In English, the confusion, which we originally received from Fr., was rectified at the Revival of Learning in the 16th c.]
trans. To consummate, accomplish, complete.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 425/2. Saynt demetryen … consumed there his marterdom. Ibid., 431/4. God that wold benewrely consume his lyf … sente to hym an axes contynuel.
1502. Ord. Crysten Men, V. vii. (W. de W., 1506), 425. The yeres a thousande .v. hondred … after the Incarnacyon of our lorde this present buoke was fyrst consumed.
1541. R. Copland, Galyen’s Terap., Pref. 2. A j b. The one is holpen, made perfyte, and consumed by the other.
