Phrase guide

trace element

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A chemical element present in a sample in very small quantities.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A chemical element in an organism’s diet that is required in very small amounts in order to maintain proper biochemical function.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: nutrition

Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, microbiology, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: micronutrient, micromineral, microelement

Antonyms: nutrient, macronutrient, electrolyte

Broader terms: nutrient

3

noun

Meaning 3

an element that occurs at very small quantities in the body but is nonetheless important for many biological processes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: chemical element, element

History

Etymology

Compound of trace (“very small amount”) + element (“chemical element”).

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: oligoelement — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Chinese Mandarin: 稀有元素 (xīyǒu yuánsù) — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Chinese Mandarin: 微量元素 (wēiliàng yuánsù) — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Czech: stopový prvek — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Danish: sporstof — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Dutch: sporenelement — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Finnish: hivenaine — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • French: oligo-élément — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • German: Spurenelement — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Greek: Ιχνοστοιχείο (Ichnostoicheío) — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Italian: oligoelemento — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Māori: pūmotu waiwai — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sporstoff — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sporstoff — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Romanian: oligoelement — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Russian: микроэлеме́нт (mikroelemént) — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Spanish: oligoelemento — chemical element in an organism’s diet
  • Spanish: microelemento — chemical element in an organism’s diet