building block

one of the parts that make up a whole historically the infantry division has been a basic building block of armies Synonyms element, component, constituent, factor, ingredient, memberRelated Words basis, part and parcel; detail, item, particular, point; aspect, characteristic, facet, feature, trait; division, fragment, particle, partition, piece, portion, section, sector, segment; subcomponentNear Antonyms aggregate, composite, compound, mass; entirety, sum, summation, total, totality; admixture, amalgam, amalgamation, blend, combination, intermixture, mix, mixtureAntonyms whole