Element

[Fr. élément; Lat. elementum. Etym. unknown.] A rudiment; a first principle; the first or constituent principle or minutest part of anything; an ingredient.-That which cannot be divided by chemical analysis; a simple or uncompounded substance. -The substance which forms the natural or most suitable habitation of an animal; the proper state or sphere of anything; the state of things suited to one's temper or habits. Milton . "Our torments may, in length of time, become our elements." -The outline or sketch. - The moving cause or principle; that which excites action. -pl. The letters of the alphabet. - The first rules or principles of an art or science. ( Eccl .) The bread and wine used in the Lord's supper. ( Math .) Rudiments; data employed in calculation. (Chem.) The old philosophers applied this term to imaginary principles of matter; such as fire, water, earth, and air. The elements of the alchemists were salt, sulphur, and mercury. The term element is now used as synonymous with simple body . (Astron.) Those numerical quantities, obtained by observation and calculation, which are used in compiling tables that exhibit the ephemeris of a planet's motions. The principal are its greatest, mean, and least distance from the sun; its mean daily motion; its mean annual motion; the eccentricity of its orbit and its inclination to the ecliptic; the longitude of its ascending node and perihelion; and its ma and density.