The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

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.
   [1913 Webster]

         The component parts of natural bodies.   --Sir I.
                                                  Newton.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Component \Com*po"nent\, n.
   A constituent part; an ingredient.
   [1913 Webster]

   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.
      [1913 Webster] Compony

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

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: component,
         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"; "the animal constituent of
       plankton" [syn: part, portion, component part,
       component, constituent]
    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:
       component, constituent, element]

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 January 2023):

component

    An object adhering to a component
   architecture.

   (1997-11-20)