component

[ kuhm-poh-nuhnt, kom- ]

noun

1. a constituent part; element; ingredient.
2. a part of a mechanical or electrical system:

   They checked the pads, rotors, and other components of my car's brake system.

3. Physics. the projection of a vector quantity, as force or velocity, along an axis.
4. Physical Chemistry. one of the set of the minimum number of chemical constituents by which every phase of a given system can be described.
5. Mathematics.
   1. a connected subset of a set, not contained in any other connected subset of the set.
   2. a coordinate of a vector.
6. Linguistics.
   1. one of the major subdivisions of a generative grammar: Compare level ( def 17 ).

      base component;

      transformational component;

      semantic component;

      phonological component.

   2. a feature determined by componential analysis.

adjective

1. being or serving as an element (in something larger); composing; constituent:

   the component parts of a computer system.

component

/ ˌkɒmpəˈnɛnʃəl; kəmˈpəʊnənt /

noun

1. a constituent part or aspect of something more complex

   a component of a car

2. Also calledelement any electrical device, such as a resistor, that has distinct electrical characteristics and that may be connected to other electrical devices to form a circuit
3. maths
   1. one of a set of two or more vectors whose resultant is a given vector
   2. the projection of this given vector onto a specified line
4. See phase rule
   one of the minimum number of chemically distinct constituents necessary to describe fully the composition of each phase in a system See phase rule

adjective

1. forming or functioning as a part or aspect; constituent

Derived Forms

• componential, adjective

Other Words From

• com·po·nen·tial [kom-p, uh, -, nen, -sh, uh, l], compo·nental adjective
• com·ponent·ed adjective
• subcom·ponent noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of component¹

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin compōnent- (stem of compōnēns, present participle of compōnere “to put together”), equivalent to com- com- + pōn(ere) “to put” + -ent- -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of component¹

C17: from Latin compōnere to put together, from pōnere to place, put

Synonym Study

See element.

Example Sentences

Reduction is not best choice when you want a major change in consistency or for stews where there is risk of overcooking its other components.

From Washington Post

We’ve broken down each of these components and provided some of our favorite products to get you started on your journey to better sleep.

From Popular-Science

With the budget price, you’ll get lighter components—which means you may not get as many years out of it with heavy use.

From Popular-Science

When it comes to heated blankets that have wiring, electrical components, or batteries, washability isn’t always possible.

From Popular-Science

With one major component, the team was able to mimic key brain processes—neuron firing, synapse processing, and learning—at an atomic scale.

From Singularity Hub 

Lakes on Titan are full of methane, and the chemical is a major component of the giant planets Jupiter, Neptune, and so forth.

From The Daily Beast

But it is the designs for less formal occasions where Kate has found a fundamental component of her working wardrobe.

From The Daily Beast

Ultimately it is liberty, of which artistic freedom is a key component, which distinguishes the Jewish State from its enemies.

From The Daily Beast

Another toxic component of the fuel was hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene, a form of rubber.

From The Daily Beast

No doubt that a military component must be part of this approach.

From The Daily Beast

The flute, a component part of the organ, is one of the most ancient of musical instruments.

From Project Gutenberg

Avowe is all one word, though its component parts were often written apart.

From Project Gutenberg

If the web is a braced web, then the vertical component of the stress in the web bars cut by the section must be equal to S.

From Project Gutenberg

In such cases it is extremely likely that an ion of the salt in question forms a complex ion with a component of the solution.

From Project Gutenberg

The sign always denotes the character of the charge on the first component written in the subscript to .

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• factor
• ingredient
• item
• peripheral
• piece
• segment
• unit