trace element

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. any element that is required in minute quantities for physiological functioning.

trace element

noun

1. any of various chemical elements, such as iron, manganese, zinc, copper, and iodine, that occur in very small amounts in organisms and are essential for many physiological and biochemical processes

trace element

/ trās /

1. An element present in an organism in only very small amounts but essential for normal metabolism. Iodine and cobalt are trace elements required by humans.

Word History and Origins

Origin of trace element¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

In addition to light and water, microbes will need nitrogen, phosphorus, and a variety of trace elements which would be shipped from Earth, the study says.

From Popular-Science

The deepest, most remote parts of the ocean are so far removed from land that they receive very little terrestrial dust, and living organisms need a range of trace elements like iron in order to survive.

From Quanta Magazine

They guaranteed it would have all the necessary ingredients, right down to the smallest trace element!

From Project Gutenberg