minor element

noun

1. Geology. any chemical element found in small quantities in the rocks of the earth's crust. Compare major element.
2. Biochemistry. trace element.

Word History and Origins

Origin of minor element¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

State and federal lawyers for the Transportation Department both argued that the separate bike and pedestrian path would have been a minor element of the bridge’s design, one that the state said would have been used for only a tiny fraction of the 7 million annual crossings.

From Washington Post

“History will pinpoint me as merely a minor element in an ongoing major event, a small if necessary energy,” he wrote.

From New York Times

Despite the title, the father’s words turn out to be a minor element; they only come into play late in the film and with unsettling resonance.

From Los Angeles Times

Vincent Munster, a virologist at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories who led the research on aerosolized coronavirus, said Wednesday it is possible aerosolized particles are capable of spreading the virus — but this could be a very minor element in the pandemic.

From Washington Post

He believes that a love-it-or-leave-it debate over this squad will be so intense that the fact that he started it will eventually become a minor element.

From Fox News