Component
/kəmˈpoʊ.nənt/noun
A part or element of something larger.
Did you know?“Component” ultimately comes from Latin *componere*, a compound of *com-* (“together”) + *ponere* (“to place”), so its oldest sense is about arranging pieces into one whole.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peh₂-
“to put, place”
Latin
Latin
ponere
“to place, set, put”
Latin
Latin
componere
“to put together, arrange, compose”
Late Latin
Latin
component-
“putting together; composing”
14th Century
English
component
“forming part of a larger whole”
Modern English
English
component
“a part or element of a larger system or object”