component
/kəmˈpəʊnənt
/noun
1A part or element of a larger whole, especially a part of a machine or vehicle: an assembly plant for imported components hydrogen is a component of all organic compounds...
- The internal combustion engine is an integral component of a vehicle and one that baffles many people.
- It works because this record has a soul which welds its soiled components into a perfect whole.
- If any one of these components fail, the whole system fails, certainly in an agricultural context.
Synonyms
part, piece, bit, constituent, element, ingredient;
unit, module, item;
section, portion
rare integrant
1.1Each of two or more forces, velocities, or other vectors acting in different directions which are together equivalent to a given vector: he resolved the motion into horizontal and vertical components...
- Suppose that the vertical component of the force on the ground is constant and equal to amg.
- Harriot resolved the forces acting on the projectile into horizontal and vertical components.
- This in turn, because of the layout of the drive, would have imparted an upward component to the force of the car on the gate.
adjective [attributive]
Constituting part of a larger whole; constituent: the component elements of the armed forces...
- But whenever you analyse performance in sport, you will find a whole heap of component parts.
- The Russian entrepreneurs constitute a component part of the world capitalist elite.
- The walls consist of component paintings arranged in a grid pattern that forms a whole.
Synonyms
constituent, integral;
basic, essential, intrinsic
rare integrant
Derivatives
componentize
- Like everything else, music is becoming more componentised.
- Maybe we're getting this all wrong - maybe we shouldn't be looking at the products we make and trying to componentise them still further.
- And we are headed in 2005 for interoperable standards built around componentized DRM, which facilitate new business models that are more offensive and less defensive.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Latin component- 'putting together', from the verb componere, from com- 'together' + ponere 'put'. Compare with compound1.