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

Meat can be analysed for trace elements unique to Wales which give an individual chemical fingerprint, allowing forensic science and statistical models to be used to trace its origin.

From BBC

Selenium is a trace element that causes reproductive damage in fish and other animals.

From Washington Times

It doesn’t describe how the mineral was formed, what trace elements it might contain or when it was formed.

From Washington Post

Next, they analyzed how heavy oxygen, heavy carbon, and trace elements changed from layer to layer, revealing how wet the climate was at any given point in the past.

From Science Magazine

The researchers focused on hafnium, a trace element found in the mineral zircon, a component of sand.

From New York Times