Element
WordNet
noun
(1) An artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system
"Spare components for cars"
"A component or constituent element of a system"
(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"
(3) The most favorable environment for a plant or animal
"Water is the element of fishes"
(4) A straight line that generates a cylinder or cone
(5) The situation in which you are happiest and most effective
"In your element"
(6) Any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter
(7) One of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe
"The alchemists believed that there were four elements"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From < < ; origin uncertain.
Noun
- One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.
- Any one of the simplest chemical substances that cannot be decomposed in a chemical reaction or by any chemical means and made up of atoms all having the same number of protons.
- One of the four basic building blocks of matter in theories of ancient philosophers and alchemists: water, earth, fire, and air; (by extension, in plural) the weather
- Something small.
- an element of doubt
- Atmospheric forces such as strong winds and rains.
- A place or state of being that an individual or object is better suited towards.
- be in one's own element
- A required aspect or component of a cause of action. A deed is regarded a violation of law only if each element can be proved.
- One of the objects in a set.
- A group of people within a larger group having a particular common characteristic.
- You sometimes find the hooligan element at football matches.
- A short form of heating element, a component in electrical equipment, often in the form of a coil, having a high resistance, thereby generating heat when a current is passed through it.
- The element in this electric kettle can heat the water in under a minute.
- One of the conceptual objects in a markup language, usually represented in text by a matching pair of tags.