(chemistry) Any one of the simplest chemical substances that cannot be decomposed in a chemical reaction or by any chemical means and made up of atoms all having the same number of protons.
One of the four basic building blocks of matter in theories of ancient philosophers and alchemists: water, earth, fire, and air.
(law) A required aspect or component of a cause of action. A deed is regarded a violation of law only if each element can be proved.
A group of people within a larger group having a particular common characteristic.
A component in electrical equipment, often in the form of a coil, having a high resistance, thereby generating heat when a current is passed through it.
(computing) One of the conceptual objects in a markup language, usually represented in text by a matching pair of tags.
“Having a compelling plot is just one element of a successful movie.”
“This scheme was an element of the wider social democratic legacy of the 1940s.”
“As a car enthusiast, I was in my element appraising the value of second-hand automobiles.”
elemental
(fantasy) A creature (usually a spirit) that is attuned with, or composed of, one of the classical elements: air, earth, fire and water. They sometimes have unique proper names and sometimes are referred to as Air, Earth, Fire, or Water.
“Against the austere elementality of the concrete caverns, small yet well considered details provide flashes of colour and articulation.”
“Few composers make you more aware of the intricacy, delicacy, and elementality of the musical process, of what happens when a musician's body and fingers catalyse their instruments, than Saunders does.”
“Exploring notions of abstraction through formal and material reductivism, it's a powerful statement, evoking timelessness, elementality and a connection with nature.”
