a part of a mechanical or electrical system: hi-fi components.
3.
Physics. the projection of a vector quantity, as force or velocity, along an axis.
4.
Physical Chemistry. one of the set of the minimum number of chemical constituents by which every phase of a given system can be described.
5.
Mathematics.
a.
a connected subset of a set, not contained in any other connected subset of the set.
b.
a coordinate of a vector.
6.
Linguistics.
a.
one of the major subdivisions of a generative grammar: base component; transformational component; semantic component; phonological component. Compare level(def. 16).
b.
a feature determined by componential analysis.
–adjective
7.
being or serving as an element (in something larger); composing; constituent: the component parts of a computer system.
Origin: 1555–65; < L compōnent- (s. of compōnēns, prp. of compōnere to put together), equiv. to com-com-+ pōn(ere) to put + -ent--ent
A constituent element, as of a system. See Synonyms at element.
A part of a mechanical or electrical complex.
Mathematics One of a set of two or more vectors having a sum equal to a given vector.
Any of the minimum number of substances required to specify completely the composition of all phases of a chemical system.
adj. Being or functioning as a constituent or an ingredient.
[From Latin compōnēns, compōnent-, present participle of compōnere, to put together : com-, com- + pōnere, to put; see apo- in Indo-European roots.] com'po·nen'tial (kŏm'pə-něn'shəl) adj.
[kuh
m-poh-nuh