Sentence:  Upon consideration of the variety of soils and fabrics normally encountered in the washing process , it is little wonder that the use of a number of detergent <WSD>constituents</WSD> having `` synergistic '' properties has gained widespread acceptance . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  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