To eat, drink, or use something, or to occupy all of someone's time, energy, or thoughts completely.
From Latin 'consumere' (to use up, destroy), from 'com-' (with) + 'sumere' (to take). The word entered English in the 1400s and naturally split into physical consumption and metaphorical absorption.
The verb 'consumes' is philosophically interesting because we use it for both eating food and for abstract things like 'consumed by anger'—this shows that our brains think of emotions and thoughts as nearly physical substances we can 'consume' or 'digest.'
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