element — OAT

element

noun

1 village shops are an essential element of the local community:

component, constituent, part, section, portion, piece, segment, bit;

factor, feature, facet, ingredient, strand, detail, point;

member, unit, module, item;

essential;

rare integrand.

2 there is an element of truth in this stereotype:

trace, touch, hint, smattering, suspicion, soupçon.

3 (elements) it is assumed that the reader is familiar with the elements of thermodynamics:

basics, essentials, principles, first principles;

foundations, fundamentals, rudiments;

informal nuts and bolts, ABC.

4 Graham was in his element building a fire and cooking the steaks:

natural environment, favored environment, familiar territory, territory, habitat, medium, milieu, sphere, field, domain, realm, circle, resort, haunt.

5 (the elements) having come prepared with an umbrella, I braved the elements:

the weather, the climate, meteorological conditions, atmospheric conditions/forces;

the wind, the rain, storms.