COMPONENT

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does component mean? 

• COMPONENT (noun)
  The noun COMPONENT has 3 senses:

1. an abstract part of something

2. something determined in relation to something that includes it

3. 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

  Familiarity information: COMPONENT used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COMPONENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An abstract part of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

component; constituent; element; factor; ingredient

Context example:

humor: an effective ingredient of a speech

Hypernyms ("component" is a kind of...):

division; part; section (one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "component"):

be-all and end-all; be all and end all (the essential factor; the all-important element; the supreme aim)

plot element (a component or element of the plot of a story)

point (a geometric element that has position but no extension)

Derivation:

compose (form the substance of)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Something determined in relation to something that includes it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Synonyms:

component; component part; constituent; part; portion

Context example:

the animal constituent of plankton

Hypernyms ("component" is a kind of...):

relation (an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "component"):

subpart (a part of a part)

balance; remainder; residual; residue; residuum; rest (something left after other parts have been taken away)

member (anything that belongs to a set or class)

unit (an individual or group or structure or other entity regarded as a structural or functional constituent of a whole)

detail; item; particular (a small part that can be considered separately from the whole)

base; basis (the most important or necessary part of something)

butt (the part of a plant from which the roots spring or the part of a stalk or trunk nearest the roots)

item; point (a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list)

language unit; linguistic unit (one of the natural units into which linguistic messages can be analyzed)

substance (the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists)

Holonyms ("component" is a part of...):

meronymy; part to whole relation (the semantic relation that holds between a part and the whole)

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

component; constituent; element

Context example:

a component or constituent element of a system

Hypernyms ("component" is a kind of...):

part; portion (something less than the whole of a human artifact)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "component"):

add-on; addition; improver (a component that is added to something to improve it)

spark gap (a component of an ignition system; consists of two shaped electrodes and the space between them)

spare; spare part (an extra component of a machine or other apparatus)

retrofit (a component or accessory added to something after it has been manufactured)

pel; picture element; pixel ((computer science) the smallest discrete component of an image or picture on a CRT screen (usually a colored dot))

module (a self-contained component (unit or item) that is used in combination with other components)

making ((usually plural) the components needed for making or doing something)

landside (component consisting of a side piece opposite the moldboard)

ingredient (a component of a mixture or compound)

heating element (the component of a heater or range that transforms fuel or electricity into heat)

computer hardware; hardware ((computer science) the mechanical, magnetic, electronic, and electrical components making up a computer system)

crystal (a crystalline element used as a component in various electronic devices)

auto part; car part (a component of an automobile)

audio (the sound elements of television)

accessory; add-on; appurtenance; supplement (a supplementary component that improves capability)

input (a component of production; something that goes into the production of output)

 Context examples 

An agent that exerts an effect on the synthesis or function of blood, blood components or body fluids.

(Agent Affecting Blood or Body Fluid, NCI Thesaurus)

We now know that they are critical components of several different vesicular trafficking pathways in all eukaryotic cells and activators of specific phospholipase Ds (PLDs).

(ADP-Ribosylation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

A person who manages a computer, a network or specific software components and has rights to perform all operations.

(Administrator (Computer), NCI Thesaurus)

Eg7 is a part of a multiprotein condensin complex, recruiting another key component of mitotic chromatin condensation.

(AKAP8 in Mitosis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

A wide range of solid and hematological malignancies show dysregulated PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling due to mutations in multiple signaling components.

(Akt inhibitor AZD5363, NCI Thesaurus)

Separation of a gas mixture into purified component gases for medical use.

(Medical Gas Purification, NCI Thesaurus)

Issue associated with drawing back the device and/or device component to an intended location.

(Medical Device Retraction Problem, Food and Drug Administration)

As a derivative of the mycobacterial cell wall component MDP, almurtide activates both monocytes and macrophages.

(Almurtide, NCI Thesaurus)

The concept for an administered component.

(Administered Component Concept, NCI Thesaurus)

CD44 is an adhesion molecule with many roles, including interaction of leukocytes with endothelial cells in response to inflammation, with the most often studied ligand being hyaluronan, a component of the extracellular matrix.

(Adhesion Molecules on Lymphocyte Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)