component

[kuh m-poh-nuh nt, kom-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR component ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a constituent part; element; ingredient.

a part of a mechanical or electrical system: hi-fi components.

Physics. the projection of a vector quantity, as force or velocity, along an axis.

Physical Chemistry. one of the set of the minimum number of chemical constituents by which every phase of a given system can be described.

Mathematics.

a connected subset of a set, not contained in any other connected subset of the set.
a coordinate of a vector.

Linguistics.

one of the major subdivisions of a generative grammar: base component; transformational component; semantic component; phonological component.Compare level(def 16).
a feature determined by componential analysis.

adjective

being or serving as an element (in something larger); composing; constituent: the component parts of a computer system.

Origin of component

1555–65; < Latin compōnent- (stem of compōnēns, present participle of compōnere to put together), equivalent to com- com- + pōn(ere) to put + -ent- -ent

Related formscom·po·nen·tial

[kom-puh-nen-shuh l] /ˌkɒm pəˈnɛn ʃəl/, com·po·nen·tal, adjectivecom·po·nent·ed, adjectivesub·com·po·nent, noun

Synonyms for component

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR component ON THESAURUS.COM

1. See element.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for component

peripheral, item, factor, piece, segment, unit, ingredient, integral, fundamental, basic, constituent, fixings, making, plug-in, elemental, inherent, intrinsic

Examples from the Web for component

Contemporary Examples of component

The Volcker Rule, a component of the far-reaching Dodd-Frank law, required large banks to cut back on proprietary trading.
The Incredible 'Wussiness' Of The Fed Vs Goldman Sachs—Caught On Tape
Daniel Gross
September 26, 2014
Heck, all sports are basically weird activities if you take the time to actually examine the component parts.
How to Stomach a Hot Dog Eating Contest
Robert Silverman
July 5, 2014
We fight the sex industry in general, not its component parts.
Femen's Topless Sextremists Invade the US
Lizzie Crocker
February 23, 2014
But among the most effective fighters are those affiliated with the Nusra Front, a component of al Qaeda.
Up to Speed: Five Things You Need to Know on Syria
Christopher Dickey
September 3, 2013
This factor seems to jibe with our overall rankings more than any other component.
Hot U.S. Cities That Offer Both Jobs and Culture Are Mostly Southern and Modest Sized
Joel Kotkin, Wendell Cox
July 30, 2013

Historical Examples of component

As his eyes glowed, it resolved itself into its component specks.
Invasion
William Fitzgerald Jenkins
At this suggestion the component parts of his nature began a discussion.
If You Touch Them They Vanish
Gouverneur Morris
The hyphen is used between the component parts of some compound words.
"Stops"
Paul Allardyce
The fleet was an anomaly, and each of its component parts was separately a freak.
The Pirates of Ersatz
Murray Leinster
The force enters into the mores and becomes a component in them.
Folkways
William Graham Sumner

British Dictionary definitions for component

component

noun

a constituent part or aspect of something more complexa component of a car

Also called: element 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

maths

one of a set of two or more vectors whose resultant is a given vector
the projection of this given vector onto a specified line

one of the minimum number of chemically distinct constituents necessary to describe fully the composition of each phase in a systemSee phase rule

adjective

forming or functioning as a part or aspect; constituent

Derived Formscomponential (ˌkɒmpəˈnɛnʃəl), adjective

Word Origin for component

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for component

1640s, "constitutional element" (earlier "one of a group of persons," 1560s), from Latin componentem (nominative componens), present participle of componere "to put together" (see composite). As an adjective, from 1660s.