matter

[mat-er] /ˈmæt ər/
noun
1.
the substance or substances of which any physical object consists or is composed:
the matter of which the earth is made.
2.
physical or corporeal substance in general, whether solid, liquid, or gaseous, especially as distinguished from incorporeal substance, as spirit or mind, or from qualities, actions, and the like.
3.
something that occupies space.
4.
a particular kind of substance:
coloring matter.
5.
a situation, state, affair, or business:
a trivial matter.
6.
an amount or extent reckoned approximately:
a matter of 10 miles.
7.
something of consequence:
matter for serious thought.
8.
importance or significance:
decisions of little matter.
9.
difficulty; trouble (usually preceded by the):
There is something the matter.
10.
ground, reason, or cause:
a matter for complaint.
11.
the material or substance of a discourse, book, etc., often as distinguished from its form.
12.
things put down in words, especially printed:
reading matter.
13.
things sent by mail:
postal matter.
14.
a substance discharged by a living body, especially pus.
15.
Philosophy.
  1. that which by integrative organization forms chemical substances and living things.
  2. Aristotelianism. that which relates to form as potentiality does to actuality.
16.
Law. statement or allegation.
17.
Printing.
  1. material for work; copy.
  2. type set up.
18.
Christian Science. the concept of substance shaped by the limitations of the human mind.
verb (used without object)
19.
to be of importance; signify:
It matters little.
20.
Pathology. to suppurate.
Idioms
21.
a matter of life and death, something of vital or crucial importance.
22.
as a matter of fact, in reality; actually; in fact:
As a matter of fact, there is no substance to that rumor.
23.
for that matter, as far as that is concerned; as for that:
For that matter, you are no better qualified to judge than I.
Also, for the matter of that.
24.
no matter,
  1. regardless or irrespective of:
    We'll never finish on time, no matter how hard we work.
  2. it is unimportant; it makes no difference:
    No matter, this string will do as well as any other.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English mater(e), materie < Anglo-French, Old French mat(i)ere, materie < Latin māteria woody part of a tree, material, substance, derivative of māter mother1
Related forms
matterful, adjective
matterless, adjective
nonmatter, noun
Can be confused
madder, matter.
Synonyms
5. question. 7. concern. 8. moment. 11. subject, topic. 19. count.
Synonym Study
1. Matter, material, stuff, substance refer to that of which physical objects are composed (though all these terms are also used abstractly). Matter, as distinct from mind and spirit, is a broad word that applies to anything perceived, or known to be occupying space: solid matter; gaseous matter. Material usually means some definite kind, quality, or quantity of matter, especially as intended for use: woolen material; a house built of good materials. Stuff, a less technical word, with approximately the same meanings as material, is characterized by being on an informal level when it refers to physical objects (Dynamite is queer stuff), and on a literary or poetic one when it is used abstractly (the stuff that dreams are made on). Substance is the matter that composes a thing, thought of in relation to its essential properties: a sticky substance.

matt

[mat] /mæt/
adjective, noun, verb (used with object)
1.
matte1 .
Examples from the web for matter
  • Bill's problem with his employer's oversight was not so much ego, as a matter of his deeply ingrained sense of fairness.
  • They are in the matter and substance of the poetry, and they are in its manner and style.
  • Dark matter, the substance no one has ever seen, continues to baffle cosmologists.
  • On a purely visual level, they are appealing for the same reasons their subject matter is: they look delicious.
  • She had never attended art school, had no studio and had not yet focused on any particular subject matter.
  • But its subject matter, apparently, is still disappearing.
  • The ironic clash of high price and cheap subject matter couldn't be louder.
  • The problem is not strictly a matter of water scarcity.
  • Innovation experts and consultants stress repeatedly that innovation isn't a matter of subject knowledge.
  • Once the novelty wears off, unless you have a particular interest in the subject matter, they're boring.
British Dictionary definitions for matter

matter

/ˈmætə/
noun
1.
that which makes up something, esp a physical object; material
2.
substance that occupies space and has mass, as distinguished from substance that is mental, spiritual, etc
3.
substance of a specified type: vegetable matter, reading matter
4.
sometimes foll by of or for. thing; affair; concern; question: a matter of taste, several matters to attend to, no laughing matter
5.
a quantity or amount: a matter of a few pence
6.
the content of written or verbal material as distinct from its style or form
7.
(used with a negative) importance; consequence
8.
(philosophy) (in the writings of Aristotle and the Scholastics) that which is itself formless but can receive form and become substance
9.
(philosophy) (in the Cartesian tradition) one of two basic modes of existence, the other being mind: matter being extended in space as well as time
10.
(printing)
  1. type set up, either standing or for use
  2. copy to be set in type
11.
a secretion or discharge, such as pus
12.
(law)
  1. something to be proved
  2. statements or allegations to be considered by a court
13.
for that matter, as regards that
14.
See grey matter
15.
no matter
  1. regardless of; irrespective of: no matter what the excuse, you must not be late
  2. (sentence substitute) it is unimportant
16.
the matter, wrong; the trouble: there's nothing the matter
verb (intransitive)
17.
to be of consequence or importance
18.
to form and discharge pus
Word Origin
C13 (n), C16 (vb): from Latin māteria cause, substance, esp wood, or a substance that produces something else; related to māter mother

matt

/mæt/
adjective, noun, verb
1.
variant spellings of mat2 (sense 2), mat1 (sense 3), mat2 (sense 5)
Word Origin and History for matter
n.

c.1200, materie, "subject of thought, speech, or expression," from Anglo-French matere, Old French matere "subject, theme, topic; substance, content, material; character, education" (12c., Modern French matière), from Latin materia "substance from which something is made," also "hard inner wood of a tree" (cf. Portuguese madeira "wood"), from mater "origin, source, mother" (see mother (n.1)). Or, on another theory, it represents *dmateria, from PIE root *dem-/*dom- (cf. Latin domus "house," English timber). With sense development in Latin influenced by Greek hyle, of which it was the equivalent in philosophy.

Meaning "physical substance generally, matter, material" is early 14c.; that of "substance of which some specific object is made or consists of" is attested from late 14c. That of "piece of business, affair, activity, situation, circumstance" is from late 14c. From mid-14c. as "subject of a literary work, content of what is written, main theme." Also in Middle English as "cause, reasons, ground; essential character; field of investigation."

Matter of course "something expected" attested from 1739. For that matter attested from 1670s. What is the matter "what concerns (someone), the cause of the difficulty" is attested from mid-15c. To make no matter "be no difference to" also is mid-15c.

v.

"to be of importance or consequence," 1580s, from matter (n.). Related: Mattered; mattering.

matter in Medicine

matter mat·ter (māt'ər)
n.

  1. Something that occupies space and can be perceived by one or more senses.

  2. A specific type of substance.

  3. Discharge or waste, such as pus or feces, from a living organism.

matter in Science
matter
(māt'ər)
Something that has mass. Most of the matter in the universe is composed of atoms which are themselves composed of subatomic particles. See also energy, state of matter.

matter in Culture

matter definition


In physics, something that has mass and is distinct from energy. (See phases of matter.)

Slang definitions & phrases for matter

matter

Related Terms

gray matter


Idioms and Phrases with matter

matter

also see: