element

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

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

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: el‧e‧ment

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.

      Synonyms: chemical element, (rare, nonstandard) firststuff

   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.

      Synonym: member

   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.
15. (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.

• atom

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.

• transelement

• 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.

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

• leetmen

From Latin elementum.

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

element m (plural elements)

1. element (clarification of this definition is needed)

• elemental
• element químic

• “element” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “element”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
• “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.

From Latin elementum.

element

1. element.

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

element n (singular definite elementet, plural indefinite elementer)

1. (set theory) element

• “element” in Den Danske Ordbog

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

• IPA^(key): /ˌeː.ləˈmɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ele‧ment
• Rhymes: -ɛnt

element n (plural elementen, diminutive elementje n)

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

• elementair

• → Indonesian: elemen

• leemten

From Latin elementum.

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

1. an element

• “element” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Latin elementum.

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

1. an element

• “element” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Borrowed from Latin elementum.

• IPA^(key): /ɛˈlɛ.mɛnt/

• Audio

  (file)

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

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.

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

From French élément, from Latin elementum.

element n (plural elemente)

1. element

• (Bosnian, Serbian): elèmenat

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

elèment m (Cyrillic spelling елѐмент)

1. element

• Audio

  (file)

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

• elementär
• elementa
• elementar-

From Latin elementum. Doublet of eleman.

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

element (definite accusative elementi, plural elementler)

1. (chemistry) element