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matters

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mat⋅ter

  [mat-er]
Use matters in a Sentence
–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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To matters
mat·ter   (māt'ər)   
n.  
    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.
  2. A specific type of substance: inorganic matter.
  3. Discharge or waste, such as pus or feces, from a living organism.
  4. 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.
  5. The substance of thought or expression as opposed to the manner in which it is stated or conveyed.
  6. A subject of concern, feeling, or action: matters of foreign policy; a personal matter. See Synonyms at subject.
  7. Trouble or difficulty: What's the matter with your car?
  8. An approximated quantity, amount, or extent: The construction will last a matter of years.
  9. Something printed or otherwise set down in writing: reading matter.
  10. Something sent by mail.
  11. 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   (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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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