elements

el·e·ment

E0084200 (ĕl′ə-mənt)n.1. A fundamental, essential, or irreducible constituent of a composite entity.2. elements The basic assumptions or principles of a subject.3. Mathematics a. A member of a set.b. A point, line, or plane.c. A part of a geometric configuration, such as an angle in a triangle.d. The generatrix of a geometric figure.e. Any of the terms in the rectangular array of terms that constitute a matrix or determinant.4. Chemistry & Physics A substance composed of atoms having an identical number of protons in each nucleus. Elements cannot be reduced to simpler substances by normal chemical means. See Periodic Table (pages 131X-131X).5. One of four substances, earth, air, fire, or water, formerly regarded as a fundamental constituent of the universe.6. Electricity The resistance wire in an electrical appliance such as a heater or an oven.7. elements The forces that constitute the weather, especially severe or inclement weather: outside paint that had been damaged by the elements.8. An environment naturally suited to or associated with an individual: He is in his element when traveling. The business world is her element.9. A distinct group within a larger community: the dissident element on campus.10. A part of a military force, especially:a. A ground unit in an air force comparable to a platoon.b. A unit of an air force equal to two or three aircraft.11. elements The bread and wine of the Eucharist.

[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.]Synonyms: element, component, constituent, factor, ingredient
These nouns denote one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up: the grammatical elements of a sentence; real estate as a component of wealth; a protein that is a constituent of a virus; analyzed the factors that led to the accident; a cake made of flour, eggs, and other ingredients.

Thesaurus

Noun

elements - violent or severe weather (viewed as caused by the action of the four elements); "they felt the full fury of the elements"atmospheric condition, weather, weather condition, conditions - the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation; "they were hoping for good weather"; "every day we have weather conditions and yesterday was no exception"; "the conditions were too rainy for playing in the snow"

Translations

原理基础自然力

element

(ˈeləmənt) noun1. an essential part of anything. Sound teaching of grammar is one of the elements of a good education.要素2. a substance that cannot be split by chemical means into simpler substances. Hydrogen, chlorine, iron and uranium are elements.元素3. surroundings necessary for life. Water is a fish's natural element.自然的生存环境4. a slight amount. an element of doubt.小量5. the heating part in an electric kettle etc. 电热元件，电阻丝 ˌeleˈmentary (-ˈmen-) adjective very simple; not advanced. elementary mathematics.初级的ˈelements noun plural1. the first things to be learned in any subject. the elements of musical theory. 原理，基础 2. the forces of nature, as wind and rain. 自然力（用复数表示，如风、雨） in one's element in the surroundings that are most natural or pleasing to one. 处于适宜的环境

Elements

elements

[′el·ə·mənts] (astronomy) A set of quantities specifying the orbit of a member of the solar system or of a binary star system, used to calculate the body's position at any time. (mechanics) The various features of a trajectory such as the angle of departure, maximum ordinate, angle of fall, and so on. (navigation) The specific values of the coordinates used to define the position of an aircraft or vessel.

A fifteenth-century woodcut depicting the four elements: wood (Earth) burned by flames (fire) while a bird (air) flies above the sea (water). Reproduced by permission of Fortean Picture Library.

Elements

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

The primary categories by which the signs are classified are the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water) and the three qualities (cardinal, mutable, and fixed). Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac is a unique combination of an element and a quality (e.g., Aries is a cardinal fire sign, Taurus a fixed earth sign, Gemini a mutable air sign, and so forth). The elemental nature of a sign is said to refer to its basic temperament, while its quality refers to its mode of expression.

People whose only contact with the word element was in a science class immediately think of the materials diagramed by the periodic table—oxygen, iron, hydrogen, silicon, and the like—when they hear the term. It thus strikes them as strange to consider earth, air, fire, and water by this designation. The astrological elements derive from the elements of ancient Greek philosophy. Classical philosophy and modern science share an interest in discovering the basic—the “elementary”—building blocks of the world. Prior to the advent of contemporary atomic theory, intelligent people examining the world in which they lived observed that all tangible things could be classified as solids (earth), liquids (water), or gases (air). Sources of heat and light, such as fire and the Sun, seemed to constitute a fourth factor (fire), which can be thought of as “energy.” When reworded as solid, liquid, gas, and energy, this ancient scheme of classification is not really so strange.

When the ancients analyzed the human being in terms of these four factors, it appeared to them that the physical body was earthy, feeling and emotions watery, and thoughts airy. The fire element provided the spark of life that animated the human frame with activity. From this way of looking at human nature, it was but a short step to regarding sensitive, emotional people as having more of the water “element” in their constitution than their fellows, mental people as having more air, practical people as having more earth, and energetic, active people as having more fire. When astrology was being systematized in ancient Greece, this “psychological” system was applied to the 12 signs, resulting in a classification according to the four classical elements: the fire triplicity, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius (energy signs); the earth triplicity, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn (practical signs); the air triplicity, Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius (mental signs); and the water triplicity, Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces (emotional signs).

One finds the same set of four elements and the same classification of signs by element in Vedic astrology. The connotations are basically the same as in Western astrology.

In contrast, there are five elements in Chinese astrology—earth, water, fire, wood, and metal. In this system, the elements are not permanently associated with each of the signs of the zodiac. Rather, each one of the 12 signs of the East Asian zodiac can be a different element. For example, an individual born as an Ox in 1949 is an earth Ox; an Ox born in 1937 is a fire Ox; an Ox born in 1973 is a water Ox; etc.

Sources:

Brau, Jean-Louis, Helen Weaver, and Allan Edmands. Larousse Encyclopedia of Astrology. New York: New American Library, 1980.Hand, Robert. Horoscope Symbols. Rockport, MA: Para Research, 1981.Tester, Jim. A History of Western Astrology. New York: Ballantine, 1987.

elements

el·e·ment

element

Elements

elements

Elements

Sources:

elements

Words related to elements

noun violent or severe weather (viewed as caused by the action of the four elements)

Related Words