Definition of "component" []

• A constituent element, as of a system. See Synonyms at element. (noun)
• A part of a mechanical or electrical complex. (noun)
• Mathematics One of a set of two or more vectors having a sum equal to a given vector. (noun)
• Any of the minimum number of substances required to specify completely the composition of all phases of a chemical system. (noun)
• Being or functioning as a constituent or an ingredient. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "And just so you know, we insisted that the vitamin component is OPTIONAL for all winners."
• "The graphic is an attempt to show that scanagent is the 'orchestration' my term component - meaning it leads the process but has to pull in other pieces to help out along the way."
• "NHibernate uses the term component for a user-defined type that is mapped to columns in the row of another entity."