element definition

English element definition

Etymology

From Middle English element, from Old French element, from Latin elementum (“a first principle, element, rudiment”) (see further etymology there).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ĕl'ĭmənt, IPA^(key): /ˈɛlɪmənt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: el‧e‧ment

Noun

element (plural elements)

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.

   Letters are the elements of written language.

   • 1881, Benjamin Jowett, Thucydides

     The simplicity which is so large an element in a noble nature was laughed to scorn.

   1. (chemistry) 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.
   2. One of the four basic building blocks of matter in theories of ancient philosophers and alchemists: water, earth, fire, and air.
   3. (usually in the plural) A basic, simple substance out of which something is made, raw material.
      • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], part 1, 2nd edition, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, OCLC 932920499; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:

        Thus ſhall my heart be ſtil combinde with thine,
        Untill our bodies turne to Elements:
        And both our ſoules aſpire celeſtiall thrones.

   4. (law) A required aspect or component of a cause of action. A deed is regarded as a violation of law only if each element can be proved.
   5. (set theory) One of the objects in a set.
   6. (mathematics) One of the entries of a matrix.
   7. Any of the teeth of a zip fastener.
2. A small part of the whole.

   an element of the picture

3. A small but present amount of a quality, a hint.

   an element of doubt

   • 1927, F. E. Penny, chapter 4, in Pulling the Strings:

     The case was that of a murder. It had an element of mystery about it, however, which was puzzling the authorities. A turban and loincloth soaked in blood had been found; also a staff.

4. A factor, one of the conditions contributing to a result.
5. (obsolete) The sky.
   • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LXIX”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; […], OCLC 13631815:

     Sometimes, solitude is of all things my wish; and the awful silence of the night, the spangled element, and the rising and setting sun, how promotive of contemplation!

6. (obsolete) Any one of the heavenly spheres believed to carry the celestial bodies.
7. (in the plural only, with "the") Atmospheric forces such as strong winds and rains.

   exposed to the elements

8. A place or state of being that an individual or object is best suited to.

   to be in one's element

9. (Christianity, usually in the plural) The bread and wine taken at Holy Communion.
10. A group of people within a larger group having a particular common characteristic.

    You sometimes find the hooligan element at football matches.

11. (in the plural only) The basic principles of a field of knowledge, basics, fundamentals, rudiments.
12. 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.

13. (mathematics) An infinitesimal interval of a quantity, a differential.

    The element of area in Cartesian coordinates is dx dy.

14. (astronomy) An orbital element; one of the parameters needed to uniquely specify a particular orbit.
16. (computing) One of the conceptual objects in a markup language, usually represented in text by tags.
    • 2011, Richard Wagner, Creating Web Pages All-in-One For Dummies:

      The div element was introduced into HTML as a solution to the layout problem.

Synonyms

• (in chemistry): chemical element, firststuff (rare, nonstandard)
• (in set theory): member

Hyponyms

• chemical element
• data element
• heating element

Derived terms

• integral element
• single-element

Related terms

• elemental
• elementary

Translations

See also

• atom

Verb

element (third-person singular simple present elements, present participle elementing, simple past and past participle elemented)

1. (obsolete) To compound of elements.
   • 1633, John Donne, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

     those things which elemented [love]

   • 1661, Robert Boyle, The Sceptical Chymist:

     elemented bodies

   • 1681, Maunyngham, Disc., page 89:

     thou art elemented and organed

2. (obsolete) To constitute and be the elements of.
   • 1658, Izaak Walton, Life of Donne:

     His very soul was elemented of nothing but sadness.

Related terms

• transelement

Further reading

• element in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• element in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911

References

• Lehmann, R.G. (2011). "27-30-22-26 - How many letters needs an alphabet?". In de Voogt, A.; Quack, J.F. The Idea of Writing: Writing Across Borders. Brill. pp. 15–16, note 8.

Anagrams

• leetmen

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Catalan element definition

Etymology

From Latin elementum.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /ə.ləˈment/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /ə.ləˈmen/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /e.leˈment/

Noun

element m (plural elements)

1. element (clarification of this definition is needed)

Derived terms

• elemental
• element químic

Further reading

• “element” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “element”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2022
• “element” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “element” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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Crimean Tatar element definition

Etymology

From Latin elementum.

Noun

element

1. element.

Declension

References

• Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎^[1], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

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Danish element definition

Noun

element n (singular definite elementet, plural indefinite elementer)

1. (set theory) element

Declension

References

• “element” in Den Danske Ordbog

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Dutch element definition

Etymology

From Middle Dutch element, from Old French element, from Latin elementum (“a first principle, element, rudiment”), of uncertain origin (see further etymology there).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌeː.ləˈmɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ele‧ment
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

element n (plural elementen, diminutive elementje n)

1. element
2. (chemistry) element
3. (set theory) element

Derived terms

• elementair

Descendants

• → Indonesian: elemen

Anagrams

• leemten

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Norwegian Bokmål element definition

Etymology

From Latin elementum.

Noun

element n (definite singular elementet, indefinite plural element or elementer, definite plural elementa or elementene)

1. an element

References

• “element” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk element definition

Etymology

From Latin elementum.

Noun

element n (definite singular elementet, indefinite plural element, definite plural elementa)

1. an element

References

• “element” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Polish element definition

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin elementum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛˈlɛ.mɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛmɛnt
• Syllabification: e‧le‧ment

Noun

element m inan

1. element (component, piece of a larger whole)
2. (derogatory) element (group of people)

   Wieczorami w knajpie zbierał się podejrzany element.

   In the evenings, a suspicious element congregated in the pub.

Declension

Further reading

• element in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• element in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Romanian element definition

Etymology

From French élément, from Latin elementum.

Noun

element n (plural elemente)

1. element

Declension

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Serbo-Croatian element definition

Alternative forms

• (Bosnian, Serbian): elèmenat

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /elěment/
• Hyphenation: e‧le‧ment

Noun

elèment m (Cyrillic spelling елѐмент)

1. element

Declension

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Swedish element definition

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

element n

1. element; basic building block of matter in ancient philosophy
2. element; a place or state of being that an individual or object is better suited towards
3. elements; forces of weather
4. element; an object in a set
5. (mathematics) element of a matrix
6. heating element, radiator
7. (computing) element; object in markup language

Declension

Declension of element
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	element	elementet	element	elementen
Genitive	elements	elementets	elements	elementens

Related terms

• elementär
• elementa
• elementar-

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Turkish element definition

Etymology

From Latin elementum. Doublet of eleman.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e.le.mɛnt/
• Hyphenation: e‧le‧ment

Noun

element (definite accusative elementi, plural elementler)

1. (chemistry) element

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	element
Definite accusative	elementi
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	element	elementler
Definite accusative	elementi	elementleri
Dative	elemente	elementlere
Locative	elementte	elementlerde
Ablative	elementten	elementlerden
Genitive	elementin	elementlerin