Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Component \Com*po"nent\ (k[o^]m*p[=o]"nent), a. [L. componens,
   p. pr. of componere. See {Compound}, v. t.]
   Serving, or helping, to form; composing; constituting;
   constituent.

         The component parts of natural bodies.   --Sir I.
                                                  Newton.

Component \Com*po"nent\, n.
   A constituent part; an ingredient.

   {Component of force} (Mech.), a force which, acting
      conjointly with one or more forces, produces the effect of
      a single force or resultant; one of a number of forces
      into which a single force may be resolved.

Source : WordNet®

component
     n 1: an abstract part of something; "jealousy was a component of
          his character"; "two constituents of a musical
          composition are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical
          elements of a sentence"; "a key factor in her success";
          "humor: an effective ingredient of a speech" [syn: {constituent},
           {element}, {factor}, {ingredient}]
     2: something determined in relation to something that includes
        it; "he wanted to feel a part of something bigger than
        himself"; "I read a portion of the manuscript"; "the
        smaller component is hard to reach" [syn: {part}, {portion},
         {component part}]
     3: an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a
        composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be
        separated from or attached to a system; "spare components
        for cars"; "a component or constituent element of a
        system" [syn: {constituent}, {element}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

component
     
         An {object} adhering to a {component
        architecture}.
     
        (1997-11-20)