ELEMENT

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does element mean? 

• ELEMENT (noun)
  The noun ELEMENT has 7 senses:

1. an abstract part of something

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

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

4. the most favorable environment for a plant or animal

5. one of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe

6. the situation in which you are happiest and most effective

7. a straight line that generates a cylinder or cone

  Familiarity information: ELEMENT used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ELEMENT (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 ("element" 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 "element"):

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

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

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

Sense 2

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 ("element" is a kind of...):

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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)

Derivation:

elementary (of or being the essential or basic part)

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

chemical element; element

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

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

Meronyms (parts of "element"):

atom ((physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element)

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

atomic number 105; Db; dubnium; element 105; hahnium (a transuranic element)

atomic number 101; Md; mendelevium; Mv (a radioactive transuranic element synthesized by bombarding einsteinium with alpha particles (Md is the current symbol for mendelevium but Mv was formerly the symbol))

atomic number 10; Ne; neon (a colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts)

atomic number 7; N; nitrogen (a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues)

atomic number 102; No; nobelium (a radioactive transuranic element synthesized by bombarding curium with carbon ions; 7 isotopes are known)

atomic number 8; O; oxygen (a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust)

atomic number 15; P; phosphorus (a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms)

atomic number 109; element 109; meitnerium; Mt (a radioactive transuranic element)

atomic number 94; plutonium; Pu (a solid silvery grey radioactive transuranic element whose atoms can be split when bombarded with neutrons; found in minute quantities in uranium ores but is usually synthesized in nuclear reactors; 13 isotopes are known with the most important being plutonium 239)

atomic number 86; radon; Rn (a radioactive gaseous element formed by the disintegration of radium; the heaviest of the inert gasses; occurs naturally (especially in areas over granite) and is considered a hazard to health)

atomic number 111; element 111; Rg; roentgenium (a radioactive transuranic element)

atomic number 104; element 104; Rf; rutherfordium; unnilquadium; Unq (a radioactive transuranic element which has been synthesized)

atomic number 106; element 106; seaborgium; Sg (a transuranic element)

atomic number 34; Se; selenium (a toxic nonmetallic element related to sulfur and tellurium; occurs in several allotropic forms; a stable grey metallike allotrope conducts electricity better in the light than in the dark and is used in photocells; occurs in sulfide ores (as pyrite))

atomic number 14; Si; silicon (a tetravalent nonmetallic element; next to oxygen it is the most abundant element in the earth's crust; occurs in clay and feldspar and granite and quartz and sand; used as a semiconductor in transistors)

atomic number 16; S; sulfur; sulphur (an abundant tasteless odorless multivalent nonmetallic element; best known in yellow crystals; occurs in many sulphide and sulphate minerals and even in native form (especially in volcanic regions))

atomic number 52; Te; tellurium (a brittle silver-white metalloid element that is related to selenium and sulfur; it is used in alloys and as a semiconductor; occurs mainly as tellurides in ores of copper and nickel and silver and gold)

atomic number 112; element 112; ununbium; Uub; atomic number 116; element 116; ununhexium; Uuh; atomic number 115; element 115; ununpentium; Uup; atomic number 114; element 114; ununquadium; Uuq; atomic number 113; element 113; ununtrium; Uut (a radioactive transuranic element)

atomic number 54; Xe; xenon (a colorless odorless inert gaseous element occurring in the earth's atmosphere in trace amounts)

trace element (an element that occurs at very small quantities in the body but is nonetheless important for many biological processes)

atomic number 36; Kr; krypton (a colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; occurs in trace amounts in air)

allotrope (a structurally different form of an element)

transuranic element (any element having an atomic number greater than 92 (which is the atomic number of uranium); all are radioactive)

argonon; inert gas; noble gas (any of the chemically inert gaseous elements of the helium group in the periodic table)

metal; metallic element (any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.)

nonmetal (a chemical element lacking typical metallic properties)

transactinide (any of the artificially produced elements with atomic numbers greater than 103)

Ac; actinium; atomic number 89 (a radioactive element of the actinide series; found in uranium ores)

Ar; argon; atomic number 18 (a colorless and odorless inert gas; one of the six inert gases; comprises approximately 1% of the earth's atmosphere)

arsenic; As; atomic number 33 (a very poisonous metallic element that has three allotropic forms; arsenic and arsenic compounds are used as herbicides and insecticides and various alloys; found in arsenopyrite and orpiment and realgar)

astatine; At; atomic number 85 (a highly unstable radioactive element (the heaviest of the halogen series); a decay product of uranium and thorium)

atomic number 107; Bh; bohrium; element 107 (a transuranic element)

atomic number 35; Br; bromine (a nonmetallic heavy volatile corrosive dark brown liquid element belonging to the halogens; found in sea water)

atomic number 103; lawrencium; Lr (a radioactive transuranic element synthesized from californium)

atomic number 53; I; iodin; iodine (a nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; used especially in medicine and photography and in dyes; occurs naturally only in combination in small quantities (as in sea water or rocks))

atomic number 1; H; hydrogen (a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe)

atomic number 2; He; helium (a very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; the most difficult gas to liquefy; occurs in economically extractable amounts in certain natural gases (as those found in Texas and Kansas))

atomic number 108; element 108; hassium; Hs (a radioactive transuranic element)

atomic number 32; Ge; germanium (a brittle grey crystalline element that is a semiconducting metalloid (resembling silicon) used in transistors; occurs in germanite and argyrodite)

atomic number 9; F; fluorine (a nonmetallic univalent element belonging to the halogens; usually a yellow irritating toxic flammable gas; a powerful oxidizing agent; recovered from fluorite or cryolite or fluorapatite)

atomic number 110; darmstadtium; Ds; element 110 (a radioactive transuranic element)

atomic number 17; chlorine; Cl (a common nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; best known as a heavy yellow irritating toxic gas; used to purify water and as a bleaching agent and disinfectant; occurs naturally only as a salt (as in sea water))

atomic number 6; C; carbon (an abundant nonmetallic tetravalent element occurring in three allotropic forms: amorphous carbon and graphite and diamond; occurs in all organic compounds)

atomic number 5; B; boron (a trivalent metalloid element; occurs both in a hard black crystal and in the form of a yellow or brown powder)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The most favorable environment for a plant or animal

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Context example:

water is the element of fishes

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

environment; environs; surround; surroundings (the area in which something exists or lives)

Sense 5

Meaning:

One of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Context example:

the alchemists believed that there were four elements

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

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

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

air; fire; earth (once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles))

ether; quintessence (the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies)

water (once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles))

Sense 6

Meaning:

The situation in which you are happiest and most effective

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

in your element

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

situation; state of affairs (the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A straight line that generates a cylinder or cone

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

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

straight line (a line traced by a point traveling in a constant direction; a line of zero curvature)

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

element of a cone (a straight line joining the apex and a point on the base)

element of a cylinder (a straight line running the length of the cylinder)

 Context examples 

Phosphorus is formed in supernovae when massive stars explode at the end of their lives, but the researchers found that the typical supernova may not provide the right conditions to forge the element.

(Finding Alien Life Unlikely Due to Lack of Phosphorus in Universe, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

During wakefulness, however, all participants presented brain MEG responses reflecting the grouping of sounds into sets of 3 elements.

(Learning While Sleeping?, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Phosphorus, present in our DNA and cell membranes, is an essential element for life as we know it.

(Astronomers Reveal Interstellar Thread of One of Life’s Building Blocks, ESO)

They also generate many of the chemical elements in our universe that are heavier than iron.

(NASA Satellite Spots a Mystery That's Gone in a Flash, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

To bring or combine together or with something else; add as an additional element or part.

(Mix, NCI Thesaurus)

Our findings suggest that these more human elements of healthcare early in the course of diabetes, may be important in their long-term health outcomes.

(Patients with an ‘empathic’ GP at reduced risk of early death, University of Cambridge)

A group of tumors affecting the female reproductive system, characterized by the presence of epithelial and stromal elements.

(Mixed Mesodermal (Mullerian) Tumor, NCI Thesaurus)

If you are interviewing for a new position, you will need to keep all elements secret and away from prying eyes.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

By analysing subtle variations in the light from the star, they found traces of chemical elements in amounts that scientists had never before observed at a white dwarf.

(First Giant Planet around White Dwarf Found, ESO)

Mineral nutrients include the elements calcium, magnesium, and iron.

(Mineral, NCI Dictionary)