A basic or essential part of something. In science, it means a pure substance made of only one kind of atom, like oxygen or gold.
From Latin 'elementum,' whose exact origin is uncertain, possibly from an old term for 'first principle' or from the first letters of the alphabet. In ancient times, it referred to basic substances like earth, air, fire, and water. Modern science kept the idea of 'basic building blocks' but redefined it in terms of atoms.
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