element (noun)
1: an abstract part of something; "jealousy was a component of his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an effective ingredient of a speech" [syn: component, constituent, factor, ingredient]
2: 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 [syn: chemical element]
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; "spare components for cars"; "a component or constituent element of a system" [syn: component, constituent]
4: one of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe; "the alchemists believed that there were four elements"
5: the most favorable environment for a plant or animal; "water is the element of fishes"
6: the situation in which you are happiest and most effective; "in your element"
7: a straight line that generates a cylinder or cone