a component or constituent of a whole or one of the parts into which a whole may be resolved by analysis: Bricks and mortar are elements of every masonry wall.
2.
Chemistry. one of a class of substances that cannot be separated into simpler substances by chemical means. See also chart under periodic table.
3.
a natural habitat, sphere of activity, environment, etc.: to be in one's element; Water is the element of fish.
4.
elements,
a.
atmospheric agencies or forces; weather: a ruddy complexion from exposure to the elements.
b.
the rudimentary principles of an art, science, etc.: the elements of grammar.
c.
the bread and wine of the Eucharistic service.
5.
any group of people singled out within a larger group by identifiable behavior patterns, common interests, ethnic similarities, etc.: He worried that the protest rally would attract the radical element.
6.
one of the substances, usually earth, water, air, and fire, formerly regarded as constituting the material universe.
7.
Mathematics.
a.
an infinitesimal part of a given quantity, similar in nature to it.
b.
an entity that satisfies all the conditions of belonging to a given set.
8.
Geometry. one of the points, lines, planes, or other geometrical forms, of which a figure is composed.
9.
Astronomy. any of the data required to define the precise nature of an orbit and to determine the position of a planet in the orbit at any given time.
10.
Electricity. an electric device with terminals for connection to other electrical devices.
11.
Radio. one of the electrodes in a vacuum tube.
12.
Astrology. any of the four triplicity groupings of signs: fire, earth, air, or water.
13.
Optics. any of the lenses or other components constituting an optical system.
14.
Grammar. any word, part of a word, or group of words that recurs in various contexts in a language with relatively constant meaning.
[Origin: 1250–1300; ME (< AF) < L elementum one of the four elements, letter of the alphabet, first principle, rudiment]
—Synonyms Element,component,constituent,ingredient refer to units that are parts of whole or complete substances, systems, compounds, or mixtures. Element denotes a fundamental, ultimate part: the basic elements of matter; resolve the problem into its elements. Component and constituent refer to a part that goes into the making of a complete system or compound. Component often refers to one of a number of parts: a new component for the stereo system. Constituent suggests a necessary part of the whole: The constituents of a molecule of water are two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen. Ingredient is most frequently used in nonscientific contexts: the ingredients of a cake; the ingredients of a successful marriage.
A fundamental, essential, or irreducible constituent of a composite entity.
elements The basic assumptions or principles of a subject.
Mathematics
A member of a set.
A point, line, or plane.
A part of a geometric configuration, such as an angle in a triangle.
The generatrix of a geometric figure.
Any of the terms in the rectangular array of terms that constitute a matrix or determinant.
A ground unit in an air force comparable to a platoon.
A unit of an air force equal to two or three aircraft.
Chemistry & Physics A substance composed of atoms having an identical number of protons in each nucleus. Elements cannot be reduced to simpler substances by normal chemical means.
One of four substances, earth, air, fire, or water, formerly regarded as a fundamental constituent of the universe.
Electricity The resistance wire in an electrical appliance such as a heater or an oven.
elements The forces that constitute the weather, especially severe or inclement weather: outside paint that had been damaged by the elements.
An environment naturally suited to or associated with an individual: He is in his element when traveling. The business world is her element.
A distinct group within a larger community: the dissident element on campus.
A part of a military force, especially:
A ground unit in an air force comparable to a platoon.
A unit of an air force equal to two or three aircraft.
elements The bread and wine of the Eucharist.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin elementum, perhaps ultimately from lmn, first three letters of the second half of the Canaanite alphabet, recited by ancient scribes when learning it.]
Synonyms: These nouns denote one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up: the grammatical elements of a sentence; jealousy, a component of his character; melody and harmony, two of the constituents of a musical composition; ambition as a key factor in her success; humor, an effective ingredient of a speech.
c.1300, "earth, air, fire, water," from O.Fr. element, from L. elementem "rudiment, first principle, matter in its most basic form," origin unknown (translated Gk. stoikheion). Modern chemical sense is 1813. Elements "atmospheric force" is 1555; elementary school is 1841.
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" [syn: component]
2.
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" [syn: component]
3.
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 [syn: chemical element]
4.
the most favorable environment for a plant or animal; "water is the element of fishes"
5.
one of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe; "the alchemists believed that there were four elements"
6.
the situation in which you are happiest and most effective; "in your element"
A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means. An element is composed of atoms that have the same atomic number, that is, each atom has the same number of protons in its nucleus as all other atoms of that element. Today 115 elements are known, of which 92 are known to occur in nature, while the remainder have only been made with particle accelerators. Eighty-one of the elements have isotopes that are stable. The others, including technetium, promethium, and those with atomic numbers higher than 83, are radioactive. See Periodic Table.
Mathematics A member of a set.
Our Living Language: When Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev devised the Periodic Table in 1869, there were 63 known elements. Mendeleev classified the known elements by atomic weight, and arranged a table listing them with vertical rows corresponding to shared chemical characteristics. Gaps in the table suggested the possibility of elements not yet discovered, and indeed elements were later discovered, or in some cases, artificially created, that filled the gaps and had the expected chemical properties. The striking correlation between the atomic weight of an element and its chemical properties was later explained by quantum mechanical theories of the atom. The weight of an atom of any given element depends on the number of protons (and neutrons) in its nucleus, but the number of protons also determines the number and arrangement of electrons that can orbit the nucleus, and it is these outer shells of electrons that largely determine the element's chemical properties. Currently, 115 distinct elements are known.
In chemistry, any material (such as carbon, hydrogen, iron, or oxygen) that cannot be broken down into more fundamental substances. Each chemical element has a specific type of atom, and chemical compounds are created when atoms of different elements are bound together into molecules. There are 119 chemical elements whose discovery has been claimed; 92 occur in nature, and the rest have been produced in laboratories.
A substance that cannot be reduced to simpler substances by normal chemical means and that
is composed of atoms having an identical number of protons in each nucleus.
A fundamental, essential, or irreducible constituent of a composite entity.
Main Entry: el·e·ment Pronunciation: 'el-&-m&nt Function: noun 1: any of the four substances air, water, fire, and earth
formerly believed to compose the physical universe 2: a constituent part: as a: any of more than 100 fundamental substances that consist of atoms of only one
kind and that singly or in combination constitute all matter b: one of the distinct parts (as a lens) of a composite device (as a microscope) c: one of the basic
constituent units (as a cell or fiber) of a tissue
Main Entry: el·e·ment Function: noun : one of the constituent parts (as a particular act, a mental state, or an attendant circumstance) of a crime as defined
by statute that the prosecution must prove to win a conviction
element 1. One of the items of data in an array. 2. One kind of node in an SGML, HTML, or XMLdocumenttree. An SGML element is typically represented by a start tag ("
") and an end tag ("
"). In some SGML implementations, some tags are omissible, as with "
"), which are an unordered set of key-value bindings for that element. Both the start tag and end tag for an element typically contain the "tag name" (also called the "GI" or generic identifier) for that element. In XML, an element is always represented either by an explicit start tag and end tag, or by an empty element tag (""). Other kinds of SGML node are: a section of character data ("foo"), a comment (""), a markup declaration (""), or a processing instruction (""). (2001-01-30)
El"e*ment\, n. [F. ['e]l['e]ment, L. elementum.]1. 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. 2. One of the ultimate, undecomposable constituents of any kind of matter. Specifically: (Chem.) A substance which cannot be decomposed into different kinds of matter by any means at present employed; as, the elements of water are oxygen and hydrogen. Note: The elements are naturally classified in several families or groups, as the group of the alkaline elements, the halogen group, and the like. They are roughly divided into two great classes, the metals, as sodium, calcium, etc., which form basic compounds, and the nonmetals or metalloids, as oxygen, sulphur, chlorine, which form acid compounds; but the distinction is only relative, and some, as arsenic, tin, aluminium, etc., form both acid and basic compounds. The essential fact regarding every element is its relative atomic weight or equivalent. When the elements are tabulated in the order of their ascending atomic weights, the arrangement constitutes the series of the Periodic law of Mendelejeff. See Periodic law, under Periodic. This Periodic law enables us to predict the qualities of unknown elements. The number of elements known is about seventy-five, but the gaps in the Periodic law indicate the possibility of many more. Many of the elements with which we are familiar, as hydrogen, carbon, iron, gold, etc., have been recognized, by means of spectrum analysis, in the sun and the fixed stars. From certain evidence (as that afforded by the Periodic law, spectrum analysis, etc.) it appears that the chemical elements probably may not be simple bodies, but only very stable compounds of some simpler body or bodies. In formulas, the elements are designated by abbreviations of their names in Latin or New Latin. The Elements ------------------------------------------------------------ Name |Sym-|Atomic Weight| |bol | O=16 | H=1 | ------------------------------------------------------------ Aluminum | Al | 27.1 | 26.9| Antimony(Stibium) Argon Arsenic Barium Beryllium (see Glucinum) Bismuth Boron Bromine Cadmium Caesium Calcium Carbon Cerium Chlorine Chromium Cobalt Columbium Copper (Cuprum) Erbium Fluorine Gadolinium Gallium Germanium Glucinum Gold Helium Hydrogen Indium Iodine Iridium Iron (Ferrum) Krypton Lanthanum Lead (Plumbum) Lithium Magnesium Manganese Mercury (Hydrargyrum) Molybdenum Neodymium Neon Nickel Niobium (see Columbium) Nirogen Osmium Oxygen Palladium Phosphorus Platinum Potassium (Kalium) Praseodymium Rhodium Rubidium Ruthenium ----------------------------------------------------------- The Elements -- continued ------------------------------------------------------------ Name Samarium Scandium Selenium Silicon Silver (Argentum) Sodium (Natrium) Strontium Sulphur Tantalum Tellurium Thallium Thorium Thulium Tin (Stannum) Titanium Tungsten (Wolframium) Uranium Vanadium Wolfranium (see Tungsten) Xenon Ytterbium Yttrium Zinc Zirconium ---------------------------------------------------------- Note: Several other elements have been announced, as holmium, vesbium, austrium, etc., but their properties, and in some cases their existence, have not yet been definitely established. 3. One of the ultimate parts which are variously combined in anything; as, letters are the elements of written language; hence, also, a simple portion of that which is complex, as a shaft, lever, wheel, or any simple part in a machine; one of the essential ingredients of any mixture; a constituent part; as, quartz, feldspar, and mica are the elements of granite. The simplicity which is so large an element in a noble nature was laughed to scorn. --Jowett (Thucyd.). 4. (a) One out of several parts combined in a system of aggregation, when each is of the nature of the whole; as, a single cell is an element of the honeycomb. (b) (Anat.) One of the smallest natural divisions of the organism, as a blood corpuscle, a muscular fiber. 5. (Biol.) One of the simplest essential parts, more commonly called cells, of which animal and vegetable organisms, or their tissues and organs, are composed. 6. (Math.) (a) An infinitesimal part of anything of the same nature as the entire magnitude considered; as, in a solid an element may be the infinitesimal portion between any two planes that are separated an indefinitely small distance. In the calculus, element is sometimes used as synonymous with differential. (b) Sometimes a curve, or surface, or volume is considered as described by a moving point, or curve, or surface, the latter being at any instant called an element of the former. (c) One of the terms in an algebraic expression. 7. One of the necessary data or values upon which a system of calculations depends, or general conclusions are based; as, the elements of a planet's orbit. 8. pl. The simplest or fundamental principles of any system in philosophy, science, or art; rudiments; as, the elements of geometry, or of music. 9. pl. Any outline or sketch, regarded as containing the fundamental ideas or features of the thing in question; as, the elements of a plan. 10. One of the simple substances, as supposed by the ancient philosophers; one of the imaginary principles of matter. (a) The four elements were, air, earth, water, and fire; Note: whence it is said, water is the proper element of fishes; air is the element of birds. Hence, the state or sphere natural to anything or suited for its existence. Of elements The grosser feeds the purer: Earth the Sea; Earth and the Sea feed Air; the Air those Fires Ethereal. --Milton. Does not our life consist of the four elements? --Shak. And the complexion of the element [i. e.,the sky or air] In favor's like the work we have in hand, Most bloody, fiery, and most terrible. --Shak. About twelve ounces [of food], with mere element for drink. --Cheyne. They show that they are out of their element. --T. Baker. Esp., the conditions and movements of the air. "The elements be kind to thee." (b) The elements of the alchemists were salt, sulphur, and mercury. --Brande & C. 11. pl. The whole material composing the world. The elements shall melt with fervent heat. --2 Peter iii. 10. 12. pl. (Eccl.) The bread and wine used in the eucharist or Lord's supper. Magnetic element, one of the hypothetical elementary portions of which a magnet is regarded as made up.
El"e*ment\ ([e^]l"[-e]*m[e^]nt), v. t. 1. To compound of elements or first principles. [Obs.] "[Love] being elemented too." --Donne. 2. To constitute; to make up with elements. His very soul was elemented of nothing but sadness. --Walton.
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