essential element

British  

noun

1. biochem any chemical element required by an organism for healthy growth. It may be required in large amounts (macronutrient) or in very small amounts (trace element) See also macronutrient trace element

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Example Sentences

Petroleum is an essential element in modern industry, whether used as a fuel, a lubricant or an ingredient in plastics and chemicals.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

It includes Sontag’s “Notes on ‘Camp,’” among whose 58 numbered observations is: “In naïve, or pure, Camp, the essential element is seriousness, a seriousness that fails.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

They’re an essential element of our democracy—of seeking justice and redress when a real wrong has been done to you, when your civil rights have been violated, when you’ve been a victim of a crime.

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2025

Hudson’s keyboard was an essential element of the Band’s sound on roots-rock classics such as ‘The Weight’ and ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.’

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2025

But secrecy was an essential element of military operations, and Ellsberg was not one to blow the whistle.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin