subcomponent

noun

sub·​com·​po·​nent ˌsəb-kəm-ˈpō-nənt 

-ˈkäm-ˌpō-,

-käm-ˈpō-

variants or sub-component

plural subcomponents or sub-components

: a component that is part of a larger component

But what does a contractor actually have to do to assure its representations are correct? It has to know when the thing was developed and who paid for it; and it must know the answer to those questions at the lowest segregable component level—meaning subcomponents for hardware and subroutines for software.

—W. Jay DeVecchio

When a violinist bows a string to make a high C note, the sound actually contains many individual subcomponents called harmonics.

—Dragan Huterer

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Morale plummeted in certain subcomponents such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. —Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2023

The almost two-ton engine is assembled in a factory in Middletown, Connecticut, with some subcomponent built in Canada and Poland. —Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 1 Mar. 2023

If a subcomponent fails, redundant components take over its task without causing a loss of service. —Jan Webering, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2021

In addition to job openings, the quits rate (a subcomponent of JOLTS data) has eased from a high of 3% one year ago to 2.6% last month. —Jeffrey Schulze, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above