/ kəmˈpəʊnənt; NAmE -ˈpoʊ-/ noun
one of several parts of which sth is made :
the components of a machine
the car component industry
Key components of the government's plan are ...
Trust is a vital component in any relationship.
► com·pon·ent adjective [ only before noun ]:
to break sth down into its component parts
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: from Latin component- putting together, from the verb componere , from com- together + ponere put. Compare with compound .