trace element

American  

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any element that is required in minute quantities for physiological functioning.

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trace element British  

noun

1. any of various chemical elements, such as iron, manganese, zinc, copper, and iodine, that occur in very small amounts in organisms and are essential for many physiological and biochemical processes

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trace element Scientific  

/ trās /

1. An element present in an organism in only very small amounts but essential for normal metabolism. Iodine and cobalt are trace elements required by humans.

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Etymology

Origin of trace element

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Commission officials have already said they are ready to renegotiate the rules on trace elements of banned pesticides, which affect only a tiny fraction of produce sales in the bloc.

From Barron's

The Grenoble group analyzed strontium isotopes and trace elements in melt inclusions trapped inside 3.3-billion-year-old olivine crystals, providing rare geochemical snapshots of early Earth.

From Science Daily

Dirt collected by a resident at the site showed selenium, a trace element that can be harmful in heavy concentrations, according to the results, which were reviewed by The Times.

From Los Angeles Times

The company began by building what its CEO Cameron Scadding calls a “fingerprint” which is unique to a country of origin - analysing the trace elements which the tomatoes absorb from local water and rocks.

From BBC

While toxic in high concentrations, copper is essential to life as a trace element.

From Science Daily