element (el'e-ment). 1

In general, a simple ultimate constituent of a compound substance, structure, or organ; also any individual part or group of parts of a structure, proce , or series of phenomena. 2. In chemistry, a substance that can not be resolved into di imilar constituents. Thus far about 80 different chemical elements have been found. They are divided into metals and non-metallic e's. See nonmetals, below. They have been arranged into a system according to the size of their atomic weights. See periodic system. 3. Of a galvanic battery, the substances immersed in the exciting liquid, or liquids, considered as a couple with the ve el containing them. 4. In the pi., the e's, a general term for the meteorological agencies at work upon the earth; of the ancients, fire, water, earth, and air. 5. In the pi., the rudiments of a science, anatomic e's. The ultimate structural e's into which the ti ues may be resolved by the aid of the microscope, i. e., epithelial cells, connective ti ue fibers and corpuscles (including bone cells and cartilage cells), muscular fibers, nerve fibers, nerve cells, and blood corpuscles and lymph corpuscles. See cell, cellular e. See cell. chemical e. See e. (2nd def.). chromatic e. See chromatin, connective ti ue e's. See connective ti ue corpuscles, under corpuscle, contractile e's. The fiber cells of muscle, corpuscular e. See corpuscle, diad e. A chemical e. with an atomicity equal to two. earthy e. An e. entering into the composition of an earth, electronegative e. 1. That e. of a galvanic couple which is decomposed by the exciting fluid and constitutes the negative pole. 2. A chemical e. having electronegative properties. See electronegative, electropositive e. 1. That e. of a galvanic couple which is the le affected by the exciting fluid and constitutes the positive pole. 2. A chemical e. having electropositive properties. See electropositive, endothelial e's. See endothelial cell, under cell, epithelial e's. See epithelial cell, under cell. formative e's. See connective ti ue corpuscle, under corpuscle, ganglionic e's. See nerve cells, under cell, haloid e. See halogen, her^ad e. A chemical e. having an atomicity of six. histologic e's. See anatomic e's. lymph e's. See lymph corpuscles, under corpuscle, metallic e's. See metal, monad e's. A chemical e. having an atomicity of one. morphologic e's. See anatomic e's. nervous e's. The anatomic e's composing the nervous system, e entially the nerve cells and fibers, non-metallic e. Syn.: metalloid. An elementary body which differs from the metals in both physical and chemical properties. According to most chemists, the non-metallic e's are:_ hydrogen, chlorin, bromin, to din, fluorin, oxygen, sulphur, selenium, tellurium, nitrogen, phosphorus, antimony, arsenic, carbon, silicon, boron, vanadium, tantalum, niobium, tungsten and molybdenum, nuclein e. See chromatin, pentad e. A chemical e. having an atomicity of five. red corpuscular e's of the blood. See red blood corpuscles, under blood corpuscle, sarcous e's. Of Bowman, the minute, anisotropic, quadrangular particles, which, joined side by side, form the dark bands or disks of a striated muscular fiber; they are supposed to be the proper contractile substance, seminal e. See spermatozoid. Smee's e. See Smee's battery, structural e's. See anatomic e's. tetrad e. An e. having an atomicity of four, thermo-electric e. See thermo-electric couple, under couple, ti ue e's. See anatomic e's and ti ue cell, under cell, triad e. A chemical e. having an atomicity of three, vegetative e's. The cells at the vegetative pole of the ovum. Volta's e. See voltaic couple, under couple, wandering e's. See wandering cells, under cell. [Lat., elementum.l