Element
trace element Audio
trace el·e·ment [ trays eh-leh-ment ]
Subclass of:
Micronutrients; Elements
Definitions related to trace elements:
  • A substance the body needs in tiny amounts to grow and stay healthy. Examples are vitamins and minerals.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Chemical elements that are needed in minute quantities for the proper growth, development, and physiology of an organism.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Trace elements or dietary minerals are any of various chemical elements that occur in very small amounts in organisms and are essential for many physiological and biochemical processes. The term is also used to designate these elements and compounds containing them.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • A group of chemical elements that are needed in minute quantities for the proper growth, development, and physiology of an organism. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • Trace element, in biology, any chemical element required by living organisms in minute amounts (that is less than 0.1 percent by volume [1,000 parts per million]), usually as part of a vital enzyme (a cell-produced catalytic protein). Exact needs vary among species, but commonly required plant...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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