component

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

/ kəmˈpoʊ nənt, kɒm- /

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.

Nearby words

complimentary close, compline, complot, comply, compo, component, component of complement, componential analysis, componentry, compony, componé

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

SYNONYMS FOR component

1 See element.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR component ON THESAURUS.COM

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

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
We fight the sex industry in general, not its component parts.
Femen's Topless Sextremists Invade the US|Lizzie Crocker|February 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The first component part of the name of Essarhaddon, is the monogram for the god Assur.
Discoveries among the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon|Austen H. Layard
Each of these component parts bears witness to a succession of past periods.
Omphalos|Philip Henry Gosse
Avowe is all one word, though its component parts were often written apart.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
We now proceed to give a detailed notice of some of the component parts of the woodland scenery, beginning with the single tree.
Woodland Gleanings|Charles Tilt
There is a theory that we come back to life every so often, that some component part of us doesn't die.
Helen Grant's Schooldays|Amanda M. Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for component

component

/ (kəmˈpəʊnənt) /

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

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.

component

noun

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of component

Examples from the Web for component

British Dictionary definitions for component

component

noun

adjective

Word Origin for component

Word Origin and History for component

component