sum of its parts

• sum of parts

sum of its parts (plural sums of their parts)

1. A group which can be seen as a mere juxtaposition of the elements that compose it; a collection of things where there is no new property or added value that emerges from the interactions between its parts.

   Synonym: (initialism) SOP / SoP

   Together, the ant colony was greater than the sum of its parts.

   • 4th century BCE, Aristotle, Metaphysics:

     The whole is different from the sum of its parts.