matter

matter
I. noun Etymology: Middle English matere, from Anglo-French, from Latin materia matter, physical substance, from mater Date: 13th century 1. a. a subject under consideration b. a subject of disagreement or litigation c. plural the events or circumstances of a particular situation d. the subject or substance of a discourse or writing e. something of an indicated kind or having to do with an indicated field or situation <
this is a serious matter
>
<
as a matter of policy
>
<
matters of faith
>
f. something to be proved in law g. obsolete sensible or serious material as distinguished from nonsense or drollery h. (1) obsolete reason, cause (2) a source especially of feeling or emotion i. problem, difficulty 2. a. the substance of which a physical object is composed b. material substance that occupies space, has mass, and is composed predominantly of atoms consisting of protons, neutrons, and electrons, that constitutes the observable universe, and that is interconvertible with energy c. a material substance of a particular kind or for a particular purpose <
vegetable matter
>
d. (1) material (as feces or urine) discharged from the living body (2) material discharged by suppuration ; pus 3. a. the indeterminate subject of reality; especially the element in the universe that undergoes formation and alteration b. the formless substratum of all things which exists only potentially and upon which form acts to produce realities 4. a more or less definite amount or quantity <
cooks in a matter of minutes
>
5. something written or printed 6. mail 7. Christian Science the illusion that the objects perceived by the physical senses have the reality of substance II. intransitive verb Date: 1530 1. to form or discharge pus ; suppurate <
mattering wound
>
2. to be of importance ; signify

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Matter — • Taking the term in its widest sense, matter signifies that out of which anything is made or composed Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Matter     Matter      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • matter — mat·ter n 1: a subject of consideration, disagreement, or litigation: as a: a legal case, dispute, or issue a matter within the court s jurisdiction often used in titles of legal proceedings matter of Doe see also in re b …   Law dictionary

  • 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 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • matter — n 1 Matter, substance, material, stuff are comparable when they mean what goes into the makeup or forms the being of a thing whether physical or not. In the relevant sense matter basically denotes that of which all physical objects are made, but… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • matter — ► NOUN 1) physical substance or material in general, as distinct from mind and spirit; (in physics) that which occupies space and possesses mass. 2) an affair or situation under consideration; a topic. 3) (the matter) the reason for a problem. 4) …   English terms dictionary

  • matter — [mat′ər] n. [ME matiere < OFr < L materia, material, stuff, wood (< base of mater, MOTHER1), orig., the growing trunk of a tree] 1. what a thing is made of; constituent substance or material 2. what all (material) things are made of;… …   English World dictionary

  • Matter — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Bernhard Matter (1821–1854), Schweizer Krimineller, erwähnt in einem Lied von Mani Matter Franz Matter (1931–1999), Schweizer Schauspieler und Regisseur Herbert Matter (1907–1984), Schweizer Fotograf und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • matter — [n1] substance amount, being, body, constituents, corporeality, corporeity, element, entity, individual, material, materialness, object, phenomenon, physical world, protoplasm, quantity, stuff, substantiality, sum, thing; concepts 407,433,470 Ant …   New thesaurus

  • Matter — Mat ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Mattered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Mattering}.] 1. To be of importance; to import; to signify. [1913 Webster] It matters not how they were called. Locke. [1913 Webster] 2. To form pus or matter, as an abscess; to maturate.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Matter — Mat ter, v. t. To regard as important; to take account of; to care for. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] He did not matter cold nor hunger. H. Brooke. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Matter — Matter, Jacques, geb. 1791 zu Alteckendorf im Elsaß, wurde 1819 Professor der Geschichte in Strasburg, 1821 Gymnasialdirector u. Professor der Geschichte an der dortigen protestantischen Akademie, 1831 Inspector der Akademie u. 1832… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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