minor element
Americannoun
-
Geology. any chemical element found in small quantities in the rocks of the earth's crust.
-
Biochemistry. trace element.
Etymology
Origin of minor element
First recorded in 1940–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“History will pinpoint me as merely a minor element in an ongoing major event, a small if necessary energy,” he wrote.
From New York Times • Jan. 7, 2022
Despite the title, the father’s words turn out to be a minor element; they only come into play late in the film and with unsettling resonance.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2021
He believes that a love-it-or-leave-it debate over this squad will be so intense that the fact that he started it will eventually become a minor element.
From Fox News • Jul. 16, 2019
Here’s, it’s just another minor element of the premise.
From The Verge • Jun. 7, 2019
The gratification of personal wants is only a minor element in the lives of the rich.
From The American Empire by Nearing, Scott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
