Material

Pronunciation

Origin

From Middle English material, from Late Latin materialis, from Latin materia "wood, material, substance" from mater "mother". Displaced native Middle English andweorc, andwork ("material, matter") (from Old English andweorc ("matter, substance, material")).

Full definition of material

Adjective

1. Having to do with matter; consisting of matter.This compound has a number of interesting material properties.
• Whewellthe material elements of the universe
2. Worldly, as opposed to spiritual.Don't let material concerns get in the way of living a happy life.
3. Significant.You've made several material contributions to this project.This is the most material fact in this lawsuit.
• Evelyndiscourse, which was always material, never trifling
• John LockeI shall, in the account of simple ideas, set down only such as are most material to our present purpose.

Antonyms

• (wordly) spiritual
• (significant) immaterial

Derived terms

Noun

1. (matter)Matter which may be shaped or manipulated, particularly in making something.
• 2012-03, Lee A. Groat, Gemstones, Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are … . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)
2. Asphalt, composed of oil and sand, is a widely used material for roads.
3. (text)Text written for a specific purpose.
   We were a warm-up act at the time; we didn't have enough original material to headline.
4. (sample or specimens for study)A sample or specimens for study.
• Schuster Hepaticae V|viiWith fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get...
5. (cloth)Cloth to be made into a garment.
   You'll need about a yard of material to make this.
6. (person)A person who is qualified for a certain position or activity.
   John Doe is a great governor, and I also believe he is presidential material.
7. (data)Related data of various kinds, especially if collected as the basis for a document or book.
• 2013-06-14, Jonathan Freedland, Obama's once hip brand is now tainted, Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.
8. The substance that something is made or composed of.
• 2013, Stephen P. Lownie, David M. Pelz, Stents to Prevent Stroke, As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

• matter

Verb

1. (obsolete, transitive) To form from matter; to materialize.
• Sir Thomas BrowneI believe that the whole frame of a beast doth perish, and is left in the same state after death as before it was materialled unto life.

Anagrams

• Armalite