Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To bring to completion or fruition; conclude.
  • transitive verb To realize or achieve; fulfill.
  • transitive verb To complete (a marriage) with the first act of sexual intercourse after the ceremony.
  • transitive verb To fulfill (a sexual desire or attraction) especially by intercourse.
  • adjective Complete or perfect in every respect: synonym: perfect.
  • adjective Supremely accomplished or skilled.
  • adjective Complete; utter.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To finish by completing what was intended; perfect; bring or curry to the utmost point or degree; carry or bring to completion; complete; achieve.
  • Specifically To complete (a marriage) by sexual intercourse.
  • Complete; perfect; carried to the utmost extent or degree: as, consummate felicity; consummate hypocrisy.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Carried to the utmost extent or degree; of the highest quality; complete; perfect.
  • transitive verb To bring to completion; to raise to the highest point or degree; to complete; to finish; to perfect; to achieve.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Complete in every detail, perfect, absolute.
  • adjective highly skilled and experienced; fully qualified
  • verb transitive To bring (a task, project, goal etc.) to completion; to accomplish.
  • verb transitive To make perfect, achieve, give the finishing touch
  • verb transitive To make (a marriage) complete by engaging in first sexual intercourse.
  • verb intransitive To become perfected, receive the finishing touch

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
  • adjective without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers
  • verb fulfill sexually
  • adjective perfect and complete in every respect; having all necessary qualities
  • verb make perfect; bring to perfection

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English consummaten, from Latin cōnsummāre, cōnsummāt- : com-, com- + summa, sum; see sum.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin consummatus, past participle of consummare ("to sum up, finish, complete"), from com- ("together") + summa ("the sum") (see sum, summation).

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Examples

  • He was known as a consummate and extraordinarily discreet bureaucrat, but before the Bay of Pigs fiasco he had done little for the new administration and had no real sense of what his fate would be in the new regime.

    In the Shadow of the Oval Office Ivo H. Daalder 2009

  • He was known as a consummate and extraordinarily discreet bureaucrat, but before the Bay of Pigs fiasco he had done little for the new administration and had no real sense of what his fate would be in the new regime.

    In the Shadow of the Oval Office Ivo H. Daalder 2009

  • He was known as a consummate and extraordinarily discreet bureaucrat, but before the Bay of Pigs fiasco he had done little for the new administration and had no real sense of what his fate would be in the new regime.

    In the Shadow of the Oval Office Ivo H. Daalder 2009

  • He was known as a consummate and extraordinarily discreet bureaucrat, but before the Bay of Pigs fiasco he had done little for the new administration and had no real sense of what his fate would be in the new regime.

    In the Shadow of the Oval Office Ivo H. Daalder 2009

  • It should be noted that Keiji Fukuda of WHO is a close associate of Nancy Cox of the misnamed CDC who has developed a maximally virulent H5N1 Reassortment Bioweapon described in consummate detail in the March 23, 2005 Wall Street Journal.

    Think Progress » An Inconvenient Truth and An Intolerable Summer 2006

  • Throughout his career, Bob was known as a consummate technician, a great heel, and the source of a subtle in-ring sense of humor that was often lost on the masses.

    The Hardcore Diaries Mick Foley 2007

  • Throughout his career, Bob was known as a consummate technician, a great heel, and the source of a subtle in-ring sense of humor that was often lost on the masses.

    The Hardcore Diaries Mick Foley 2007

  • Laurence, a former IT worker from Essex, says passing his test was due to the support of his driving instructor, whom he describes as a consummate professional who willed him on despite their mutual frustration.

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011

  • Laurence, a former IT worker from Essex, says passing his test was due to the support of his driving instructor, whom he describes as a consummate professional who willed him on despite their mutual frustration.

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011

  • That's why Jones is often referred to as the consummate team player.

    Las Vegas Sun Stories: All Sun Headlines 2010

Comments

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  • consumMATE

    October 21, 2009

  • For the pronounciation, I was taught that CON-sum-MATE is for the verb, and con-SUMM-it is for the adjective.

    April 22, 2010

  • I haven't heard the second example, ever. Only "CONsummaate" for the verb, and "CONs'mm'te" for the adjective.

    Either way, if you're responding to oroboros' comment, you should know this is just one of his "kangaroo words." (See list link at right.)

    April 22, 2010

  • It sounds like it could be plausible in British English.

    April 22, 2010