Element Definition
ĕlə-mənt
elements
noun
elements
Any of these four substances thought of as the natural environment of a class of living beings.
Webster's New World
The basic assumptions or principles of a subject.
American Heritage
A component part or quality, often one that is basic or essential.
A good story has an element of suspense.
Webster's New World
A member of a set.
American Heritage
Any of the four substances (earth, air, fire, and water) formerly believed to constitute all physical matter.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
- foreign land
idiom
the elements
- the first or basic principles; rudiments
- wind, rain, and the other forces of nature that make the weather
Webster's New World
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Element
- the elements
Origin of Element
-
From Middle English element, from Old French element, from Latin elementum (“a first principle, element, rudiment”); origin uncertain. Perhaps ultimately from L M N, first three letters of the second half of the Canaanite alphabet, recited by ancient scribes when learning it (in sense compare English ABC(s) (“fundamentals”)).
From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old French from Latin elementum perhaps ultimately from lmn first three letters of the second half of the Canaanite alphabet, recited by ancient scribes when learning it
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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