element in WordNet English dictionary

1. 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
   chemical element  element 
   
2. 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"
   component  constituent  element 
   
3. an abstract part of something
   "jealousy was a component of his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an effective ingredient of a speech"
   component  constituent  element  factor  ingredient 
   
4. the most favorable environment for a plant or animal
   "water is the element of fishes"
   element 
   
5. a straight line that generates a cylinder or cone
   element 
   
6. the situation in which you are happiest and most effective
   "in your element"
   element 
   
7. one of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe
   "the alchemists believed that there were four elements"
   element