component

[kuh m-poh-nuh nt, kom-] /kəmˈpoʊ nənt, kɒm-/
noun
1.
a constituent part; element; ingredient.
2.
a part of a mechanical or electrical system:
hi-fi components.
3.
Physics. the projection of a vector quantity, as force or velocity, along an axis.
4.
Physical Chemistry. one of the set of the minimum number of chemical constituents by which every phase of a given system can be described.
5.
Mathematics.
  1. a connected subset of a set, not contained in any other connected subset of the set.
  2. a coordinate of a vector.
6.
Linguistics.
  1. one of the major subdivisions of a generative grammar:
    base component; transformational component; semantic component; phonological component.
    Compare level (def 16).
  2. a feature determined by componential analysis.
adjective
7.
being or serving as an element (in something larger); composing; constituent:
the component parts of a computer system.
Origin
1555-65; < Latin compōnent- (stem of compōnēns, present participle of compōnere to put together), equivalent to com- com- + pōn(ere) to put + -ent- -ent
Related forms
componential
[kom-puh-nen-shuh l] /ˌkɒm pəˈnɛn ʃəl/ (Show IPA), componental, adjective
componented, adjective
subcomponent, noun
Synonyms
1. See element.
Examples from the web for components
  • Kellogg promotes its family of cereals, even the sugary ones, as components of a healthy diet.
  • Consider three key components in higher education-the buildings, the faculty, and the students.
  • Smelting has a further disadvantage in that shredding the boards to recover the metals destroys their components.
  • Earlier work had revealed the makeup of the other two triad components.
  • Plus, find the key components for making your own recipe.
  • Let the sonic shine in with accurate, smooth old-school stereo components.
  • He said valves, switches and power system components had also been unreliable.
  • Although every component in a proposal carries weight, a few components signal early a manuscript's promise.
  • Existing methods of making microelectronic components are essentially two-dimensional.
  • Depending on their expertise, their work in particular areas and those are important components of the overall ecosystem.
British Dictionary definitions for components

component

/kəmˈpəʊnənt/
noun
1.
a constituent part or aspect of something more complex: a component of a car
2.
Also called element. any electrical device, such as a resistor, that has distinct electrical characteristics and that may be connected to other electrical devices to form a circuit
3.
(maths)
  1. one of a set of two or more vectors whose resultant is a given vector
  2. the projection of this given vector onto a specified line
4.
one of the minimum number of chemically distinct constituents necessary to describe fully the composition of each phase in a system See phase rule
adjective
5.
forming or functioning as a part or aspect; constituent
Derived Forms
componential (ˌkɒmpəˈnɛnʃəl) adjective
Word Origin
C17: from Latin compōnere to put together, from pōnere to place, put
Word Origin and History for components

component

n.

1640s, "constitutional element" (earlier "one of a group of persons," 1560s), from Latin componentem (nominative componens), present participle of componere "to put together" (see composite). As an adjective, from 1660s.