Definition of "unit" []

• An individual, group, structure, or other entity regarded as an elementary structural or functional constituent of a whole. (noun)
• A group regarded as a distinct entity within a larger group. (noun)
• A mechanical part or module. (noun)
• An entire apparatus or the equipment that performs a specific function. (noun)
• A precisely specified quantity in terms of which the magnitudes of other quantities of the same kind can be stated. (noun)

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.

• "For these and other reasons which will suggest themselves to the mind of any thoughtful reader, many of the leaders of the revolutionary movement in Russia have doubted the value of the Soviet as a _unit of government, while highly valuing it as a unit of working-class organization and struggle_."
• "_an_ hour (_h_ is silent), _a_ unit (_unit_ begins with the consonant sound of _y_), such _a_ one (_one_ begins with the consonant sound of _w_)."
• "To find out if your unit is among those to be recalled, check the manufacture date and model number - both of which appear on a white label behind the seat as well as on the box."