matter

- 14 dictionary results

mat⋅ter

[mat-er]

–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, esp. 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 prec. 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, esp. printed: reading matter.

13.	things sent by mail: postal matter.

14.	a substance discharged by a living body, esp. pus.

15.

Philosophy.

a.	that which by integrative organization forms chemical substances and living things.

b.	Aristotelianism. that which relates to form as potentiality does to actuality.

16.	Law. statement or allegation.

17.

Printing.

a.	material for work; copy.

b.	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,

a.	regardless or irrespective of: We'll never finish on time, no matter how hard we work.

b.	it is unimportant; it makes no difference: No matter, this string will do as well as any other.

Origin:
1175–1225; ME mater(e), materie < AF, OF mat(i)ere, materie < L māteria woody part of a tree, material, substance, deriv. of māter mother ¹

Related forms:

mat⋅ter⋅ful, adjective

mat⋅ter⋅less, adjective

Synonyms:
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, esp. 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. 5. question. 7. concern. 8. moment. 11. subject, topic. 19. count.

matt

[mat]

–adjective, noun, verb (used with object)

matte ¹ .

matte

1 [mat]

adjective, noun, verb, mat⋅ted, mat⋅ting.

–adjective

1.	having a dull or lusterless surface: matte paint; a matte complexion; a photograph with a matte finish.

–noun

2.	a dull or dead surface, often slightly roughened, as on metals, paint, paper, or glass.

3.	a tool for producing such a surface.

4.	Metallurgy. an unfinished metallic product of the smelting of certain sulfide ores, esp. those of copper.

5.	Movies. matte shot.

–verb (used with object)

6.	to finish with a matte surface.

Also, mat, matt.

Origin:
1640–50; < F mat (masc.), matte (fem.), OF < LL mattus moist, soft, weak, perh. < *maditus, deriv. of L madēre to be wet

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To matter

mat·ter (māt'ər)

1. Something that occupies space and can be perceived by one or more senses; a physical body, a physical substance, or the universe as a whole.
2. Physics Something that has mass and exists as a solid, liquid, gas, or plasma.
3. Composed type.
4. Material to be set in type.
A specific type of substance: inorganic matter.
Discharge or waste, such as pus or feces, from a living organism.
Philosophy In Aristotelian and Scholastic use, that which is in itself undifferentiated and formless and which, as the subject of change and development, receives form and becomes substance.
The substance of thought or expression as opposed to the manner in which it is stated or conveyed.
A subject of concern, feeling, or action: matters of foreign policy; a personal matter. See Synonyms at subject.
Trouble or difficulty: What's the matter with your car?
An approximated quantity, amount, or extent: The construction will last a matter of years.
Something printed or otherwise set down in writing: reading matter.
Something sent by mail.
Printing
1. Composed type.
2. Material to be set in type.

intr.v. mat·tered, mat·ter·ing, mat·ters
To be of importance: "Love is most nearly itself/When here and now cease to matter" (T.S. Eliot). See Synonyms at count¹.

[Middle English, from Old French matere, from Latin māteria, wood, timber, matter, from māter, mother (because the woody part was seen as the source of growth); see māter- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Matter

Mat"ter\, n. [OE. matere, F. mati[`e]re, fr. L. materia; perh. akin to L. mater mother. Cf. Mother, Madeira, Material.]

1. That of which anything is composed; constituent substance; material; the material or substantial part of anything; the constituent elements of conception; that into which a notion may be analyzed; the essence; the pith; the embodiment.

He is the matter of virtue. --B. Jonson.

2. That of which the sensible universe and all existent bodies are composed; anything which has extension, occupies space, or is perceptible by the senses; body; substance.

Note: Matter is usually divided by philosophical writers into three kinds or classes: solid, liquid, and a["e]riform. Solid substances are those whose parts firmly cohere and resist impression, as wood or stone. Liquids have free motion among their parts, and easily yield to impression, as water and wine. A["e]riform substances are elastic fluids, called vapors and gases, as air and oxygen gas.

3. That with regard to, or about which, anything takes place or is done; the thing aimed at, treated of, or treated; subject of action, discussion, consideration, feeling, complaint, legal action, or the like; theme. "If the matter should be tried by duel." --Bacon.

Son of God, Savior of men ! Thy name Shall be the copious matter of my song. --Milton.

Every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge. --Ex. xviii. 22.

4. That which one has to treat, or with which one has to do; concern; affair; business.

To help the matter, the alchemists call in many vanities out of astrology. --Bacon.

Some young female seems to have carried matters so far, that she is ripe for asking advice. --Spectator.

5. Affair worthy of account; thing of consequence; importance; significance; moment; -- chiefly in the phrases what matter ? no matter, and the like.

A prophet some, and some a poet, cry; No matter which, so neither of them lie. --Dryden.

6. Inducing cause or occasion, especially of anything disagreeable or distressing; difficulty; trouble.

And this is the matter why interpreters upon that passage in Hosea will not consent it to be a true story, that the prophet took a harlot to wife. --Milton.

7. Amount; quantity; portion; space; -- often indefinite.

Away he goes, . . . a matter of seven miles. --L' Estrange.

I have thoughts to tarry a small matter. --Congreve.

No small matter of British forces were commanded over sea the year before. --Mi --lton.

8. Substance excreted from living animal bodies; that which is thrown out or discharged in a tumor, boil, or abscess; pus; purulent substance.

9. (Metaph.) That which is permanent, or is supposed to be given, and in or upon which changes are effected by psychological or physical processes and relations; -- opposed to form. --Mansel.

10. (Print.) Written manuscript, or anything to be set in type; copy; also, type set up and ready to be used, or which has been used, in printing.

Dead matter (Print.), type which has been used, or which is not to be used, in printing, and is ready for distribution.

Live matter (Print.), type set up, but not yet printed from.

Matter in bar, Matter of fact. See under Bar, and Fact.

Matter of record, anything recorded.

Upon the matter, or Upon the whole matter, considering the whole; taking all things into view.

Waller, with Sir William Balfour, exceeded in horse, but were, upon the whole matter, equal in foot. --Clarendon.

Matter

Mat"ter\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mattered; p. pr. & vb. n. Mattering.]

1. To be of importance; to import; to signify.

It matters not how they were called. --Locke.

2. To form pus or matter, as an abscess; to maturate. [R.] "Each slight sore mattereth." --Sir P. Sidney.

Matter

Mat"ter\, v. t. To regard as important; to take account of; to care for. [Obs.]

He did not matter cold nor hunger. --H. Brooke.

Language Translation for : matter

Spanish: materia, sustancia,

German: die Materie,

Japanese: 物質

More Translations »

matter

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

matter

c.1300, "material of thought, speech, or expression," from Anglo-Norm. matere, from L. materia "substance from which something is made," also "hard inner wood of a tree" (cf. Port. madeira "wood"), perhaps from mater "origin, source, mother." Or, on another theory, it represents *dmateria, from PIE root *dem-/*dom- (cf. L. domus "house," Eng. timber). With sense development influenced by Gk. hyle, of which it was the equivalent in philosophy. Meaning "substance of which physical objects are made" is attested from c.1340. That of "grounds, reason, or cause for something" also is first recorded 1340. The verb meaning "to be of importance or consequence" is from 1581. What is the matter "what concerns (someone)" is attested from 1469. Matter of fact (1580) originally a legal term (translating L. res facti), "that portion of an enquiry concerned with the truth or falsehood of alleged facts," opposed to matter of law. Meaning "prosaic, unimaginative" is from 1787.

Main Entry: mat·ter
Function: noun
1 : a subject of consideration, disagreement, or litigation: as a : a legal case, dispute, or issue matter within the court's jurisdiction> —often used in titles of legal proceedings <matter of Doe> —see also IN RE b : one or more facts, claims, or rights examined, disputed, asserted, proven, or determined by legal process

matter in controversy
1 : MATTER 1 called also matter in dispute
2 : the monetary amount involved in a case

matter in issue
: a matter that is in dispute as part or all of a legal issue

matter of fact
: a matter primarily involving proof or evidence rather than a question of law

matter of form
: a matter concerning form or details often of a relatively inessential nature rather than substance matter of form>

matter of law
: a matter involving or consisting of the application of law matter of law —National Law Journal>

matter of record
: a matter (as a fact) entered on the record of a court or other official body matter of record>

matter of substance
: a matter concerning the merits of a case rather than form or relatively inessential details
2 : written, printed, or postal material matter>

Main Entry: mat·ter
Pronunciation: 'mat-&r
Function: noun
1 : material (as feces or urine) discharged or for discharge from the livingbody matter from the intestine>
2 : material discharged by suppuration : PUS

matter mat·ter (māt'ər)
n.

Something that occupies space and can be perceived by one or more senses.
A specific type of substance.
Discharge or waste, such as pus or feces, from a living organism.

matter (māt'ər) Pronunciation Key
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 addition to the idioms beginning with matter, also see crux of the matter; for that matter; gray matter; mince matters; mind over matter; no joke (laughing matter); no matter; the matter.

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