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Definitions for: Element
[n] an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system; "spare components for cars"; "a component or constituent element of a system"
[n] the most favorable environment for a plant or animal; "water is the element of fishes"
[n] a straight line that generates a cylinder or cone
[n] the situation in which you are happiest and most effective; "in your element"
[n] any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter
[n] one of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe; "the alchemists believed that there were four elements"
Webster (1913) Definition: El"e*ment, n. [F. ['e]l['e]ment, L. elementum.]
1. One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of
which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or
fundamental powers of anything are based.
2. One of the ultimate, undecomposable constituents of any
kind of matter. Specifically: (Chem.) A substance which
cannot be decomposed into different kinds of matter by any
means at present employed; as, the elements of water are
oxygen and hydrogen.
Note: The elements are naturally classified in several
families or groups, as the group of the alkaline
elements, the halogen group, and the like. They are
roughly divided into two great classes, the metals, as
sodium, calcium, etc., which form basic compounds, and
the nonmetals or metalloids, as oxygen, sulphur,
chlorine, which form acid compounds; but the
distinction is only relative, and some, as arsenic,
tin, aluminium, etc., form both acid and basic
compounds. The essential fact regarding every element
is its relative atomic weight or equivalent. When the
elements are tabulated in the order of their ascending
atomic weights, the arrangement constitutes the series
of the Periodic law of Mendelejeff. See Periodic law,
under Periodic. This Periodic law enables us to
predict the qualities of unknown elements. The number
of elements known is about seventy-five, but the gaps
in the Periodic law indicate the possibility of many
more. Many of the elements with which we are familiar,
as hydrogen, carbon, iron, gold, etc., have been
recognized, by means of spectrum analysis, in the sun
and the fixed stars. From certain evidence (as that
afforded by the Periodic law, spectrum analysis, etc.)
it appears that the chemical elements probably may not
be simple bodies, but only very stable compounds of
some simpler body or bodies. In formulas, the elements
are designated by abbreviations of their names in Latin
or New Latin. The Elements
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Name |Sym-|Atomic Weight| |bol | O=16 | H=1 |
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Aluminum | Al | 27.1 | 26.9| Antimony(Stibium) Argon
Arsenic Barium Beryllium (see Glucinum) Bismuth Boron
Bromine Cadmium Caesium Calcium Carbon Cerium Chlorine
Chromium Cobalt Columbium Copper (Cuprum) Erbium
Fluorine Gadolinium Gallium Germanium Glucinum
El"e*ment ([e^]l"[-e]*m[e^]nt), v. t.
1. To compound of elements or first principles. [Obs.]
``[Love] being elemented too.'' --Donne.
2. To constitute; to make up with elements.
His very soul was elemented of nothing but sadness.
--Walton.
Synonyms: chemical element, component, component, constituent, constituent, factor, ingredient
See Also: Ac, accessory, actinium, addition, air, allotrope, appurtenance, Ar, argon, argonon, arsenic, As, astatine, At, atom, atomic number 1, atomic number 10, atomic number 101, atomic number 102, atomic number 103, atomic number 104, atomic number 105, atomic number 106, atomic number 107, atomic number 14, atomic number 15, atomic number 16, atomic number 17, atomic number 18, atomic number 2, atomic number 32, atomic number 33, atomic number 34, atomic number 35, atomic number 36, atomic number 5, atomic number 52, atomic number 53, atomic number 54, atomic number 6, atomic number 7, atomic number 8, atomic number 85, atomic number 86, atomic number 89, atomic number 9, atomic number 94, audio, auto part, B, be all and end all, be-all and end-all, boron, Br, bromine, C, car part, carbon, chlorine, Cl, computer hardware, crystal, division, earth, element 104, element 105, element 106, element 107, element of a cone, element of a cylinder, environment, environs, ether, F, fire, fluorine, Ge, germanium, H, hahnium, hardware, He, heating element, helium, hydrogen, I, improver, inert gas, ingredient, iodin, iodine, Kr, krypton, Ku, kurchatovium, landside, lawrencium, Lw, makings, matter, Md, mendelevium, metal, metallic element, module, Mv, N, Ne, neon, nitrogen, No, nobelium, noble gas, nonmetal, O, oxygen, P, part, part, pel, phosphorus, picture element, pixel, plutonium, point, portion, Pu, quintessence, radon, retrofit, Rf, Rn, rutherfordium, S, Se, section, selenium, Si, silicon, situation, spare, spare part, spark gap, state of affairs, straight line, substance, sulfur, sulphur, supplement, surround, surroundings, Te, tellurium, trace element, transactinide, transuranic element, Unh, unnilhexium, unnilpentium, unnilquadium, unnilquintium, unnilseptium, Unp, Unq, Uns, video, water, Xe, xenon
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