element
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element
- /ˈɛlɪmənt/ UK
- /ˈɛləmənt/ Canada, US
- /ˈeləmənt/ Australia, New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Middle English element, from Old French element, from Latin elementum (“a first principle, element, rudiment”) (see further etymology there).
The verb is from Middle English elementen, from the noun.
noun elements
- 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.
-
Any one of the types of atom distinguished by having a certain number of protons in its nucleus.
Hydrogen is the first element in the periodic table. It is the simplest possible atom composed of one proton in the nucleus which is orbited by a single electron.
Similar: chemical element
-
A chemical substance made entirely of one such type of atom; 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.
Similar: elementary substance, chemical element
- One of the four basic building blocks of matter in theories of ancient philosophers and alchemists: water, earth, fire, and air. The she asked the elements to send their spirits to her.
- A basic, simple substance out of which something is made, raw material. Thus ſhall my heart be ſtil combinde with thine, Untill our bodies turne to Elements: And both our ſoules aſpire celeſtiall thrones.
- 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.
-
One of the objects in a set.
[…] the majority of names being compounded of two elements chosen from a stock of special name-words.
Similar: member
- One of the entries of a matrix.
- Any of the teeth of a zip fastener.
- A small part of the whole. an element of the picture
- A small but present amount of a quality, a hint. an element of doubt
- A factor, one of the conditions contributing to a result.
- The sky. 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!
- Any one of the heavenly spheres believed to carry the celestial bodies in premodern cosmology.
- Atmospheric forces such as strong winds and rains. exposed to the elements
- A place or state of being that a person or object is best suited to. to be in one’s element
- The bread and wine taken at Holy Communion.
- A group of people within a larger group having a particular common characteristic. You sometimes find the hooligan element at football matches.
- The basic principles of a field of knowledge, basics, fundamentals, rudiments. Miniature Nuremberg kitchens complete with all the utensils were said to teach children the elements of housewifery.
- 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.
- An infinitesimal interval of a quantity, a differential. The element of area in Cartesian coordinates is dx dy.
- An orbital element; one of the parameters needed to uniquely specify a particular orbit.
- One of the conceptual objects in a markup language, usually represented in text by tags. The div element was introduced into HTML as a solution to the layout problem.
verb elements · elementing · elemented
- To compound (something) out of elements. Dull ſublunary lovers love / (VVhoſe ſoule is ſenſe) cannot admit / Abſence, becauſe it doth remove / Thoſe things vvhich elemented it.
- To constitute and be the elements of (something). His very soul was elemented of nothing but sadness.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: chemical element, ingredient, component, constituent, factor, elemental, stone, facet, nutrient, filter, matter, comparator, stream, focus, strand, anatomical
Translations
Every language
noun simplest or essential part or principle of anything
| Español | elemento |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 요소 yoso |
| 日本語 | 要素 yōso, エレメント eremento |
| 中文 | 要素 yàosù |
| हिन्दी | तत्त्व tattva |
| Kiswahili | elementi |
| Português | fundamento |
| Français | élément |
| Deutsch | Element |
| Italiano | elemento |
| Ελληνικά | ουσία ousía, στοιχείο stoicheío |
| Română | element, elemente |
| Русский | элеме́нт elemént, звено́ zvenó, составна́я часть sostavnája častʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | yếu tố |
| العربية | عُنْصُر ʕunṣur |
| עברית | עיקר \ עִקָּר ikár, יְסוֹד yesód |
noun something small
| Kiswahili | elementi |
|---|---|
| Português | resquício, vestígio |
| Italiano | elemento |
| Română | particulă, părticică, element |
| Русский | элеме́нт elemént, крупи́ца krupíca |
| עברית | שְׁבִיב shvív |
noun chemistry: simplest chemical substance
| Español | elemento |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 원소 wonso |
| 日本語 | 元素 genso |
| 中文 | 元素 yuánsù |
| हिन्दी | तत्व tatva |
| Kiswahili | elementi |
| Português | elemento |
| Français | élément |
| Deutsch | Element |
| Italiano | elemento |
| Ελληνικά | στοιχείο stoicheío |
| Română | element |
| Русский | элеме́нт elemént |
| Tiếng Việt | nguyên tố |
| العربية | عُنْصُر كِيمِيَائِيّ ʕunṣur kīmiyāʔiyy, عُنْصُر ʕunṣur |
| עברית | יְסוֹד yesód |
noun alchemy: one of the four basic building blocks
| 日本語 | 元素 genso |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 元素 yuánsù |
| Kiswahili | elementi |
| Português | elemento |
| Deutsch | Element |
| Italiano | elemento |
| Ελληνικά | στοιχείο stoicheío |
| Română | element |
| Русский | элеме́нт elemént, стихи́я stixíja |
noun law: component of a cause of action
| Español | elemento |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | elementi |
| Français | élément |
| Deutsch | Tatbestand |
| Italiano | elemento |
| Română | piesă (la dosar) |
noun set theory: object in a set
| Español | elemento |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 元 gen, 要素 yōso |
| 中文 | 元素 yuánsù |
| Kiswahili | elementi |
| Português | elemento |
| Français | membre, point |
| Deutsch | Element |
| Italiano | elemento |
| Română | element |
| Русский | элеме́нт elemént |
| עברית | אֵיבָר eivár |
noun atmospheric forces
| Español | elemento |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 자연력 jayeollyeok |
| 日本語 | 風雨 fūu, 天候 tenkō, 自然力 shizenryoku |
| 中文 | 自然力 zìránlì |
| Português | intempérie |
| Français | élément |
| Italiano | elemento, elementi |
| Ελληνικά | στοιχεία stoicheía |
| Русский | стихи́я stixíja |
noun place or state of being that a person or object is best suited to
| Español | elemento |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | elementi |
| Português | meio |
| Français | élément |
| Italiano | elemento, ambiente |
| Ελληνικά | στοιχείο stoicheío |
| Русский | стихи́я stixíja |
noun group of people with a common characteristic
| 中文 | 分子 fènzǐ |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | elementi |
| Italiano | elemento |
| Ελληνικά | στοιχείο stoicheío |
| עברית | גּוֹרֵם gorém |
noun heating element
| Kiswahili | elementi |
|---|---|
| Português | resistência |
| Deutsch | Bauelement |
| Italiano | elemento |
| Română | element |
| Русский | элеме́нт elemént |
| עברית | גוף חימום gúf khimúm |
Talk about this word "element." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/element. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. element. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/element "element." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/element.
Cite this
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@misc{element_2026,
title = {element},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/element},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
