Adjacent Words

Material definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MATE'RIAL, a. [L. materia, matter.]
1. Consisting of matter; not spiritual; as material substance; material bodies.
2. Important; momentous; more or less necessary; having influence or effect.
Hold them for catholics or heretics, it is not a thing very material in this question.
In the account of simple ideas, I shall set down only such as are most material to our present purpose.
So we say, a material point; a material fault or error; a material fact or consideration.
3. Not formal; substantial.
4. Furnishing materials; as material men.
MATE'RIAL, n. The substance or matter of which any thing is made; as, wool is the material of cloth; rags are the material of paper.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests; "material possessions"; "material wealth"; "material comforts"
2: derived from or composed of matter; "the material universe" [ant: immaterial, nonmaterial]
3: directly relevant to a matter especially a law case; "his support made a material difference"; "evidence material to the issue at hand"; "facts likely to influence the judgment are called material facts"; "a material witness" [ant: immaterial]
4: concerned with or affecting physical as distinct from intellectual or psychological well-being; "material needs"; "the moral and material welfare of all good citizens"- T.Roosevelt
5: having material or physical form or substance; "that which is created is of necessity corporeal and visible and tangible" - Benjamin Jowett [syn: corporeal, material] [ant: immaterial, incorporeal]
6: having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary; "the substantial world"; "a mere dream, neither substantial nor practical"; "most ponderous and substantial things"- Shakespeare [syn: substantial, real, material] [ant: insubstantial, unreal, unsubstantial] n
1: the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object; "coal is a hard black material"; "wheat is the stuff they use to make bread" [syn: material, stuff]
2: information (data or ideas or observations) that can be used or reworked into a finished form; "the archives provided rich material for a definitive biography"
3: artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers; "the fabric in the curtains was light and semitransparent"; "woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC"; "she measured off enough material for a dress" [syn: fabric, cloth, material, textile]
4: things needed for doing or making something; "writing materials"; "useful teaching materials"
5: a person judged suitable for admission or employment; "he was university material"; "she was vice-presidential material"

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English materiel, from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French, from Late Latin materialis, from Latin materia matter — more at matter Date: 14th century 1. a. (1) relating to, derived from, or consisting of matter; especially physical <the material world> (2) bodily <material needs> b. (1) of or relating to matter rather than form <material cause> (2) of or relating to the subject matter of reasoning; especially empirical <material knowledge> 2. having real importance or great consequences <facts material to the investigation> 3. a. being of a physical or worldly nature b. relating to or concerned with physical rather than spiritual or intellectual things <material progress> • materially adverb • materialness noun Synonyms: material, physical, corporeal, phenomenal, sensible, objective mean of or belonging to actuality. material implies formation out of tangible matter; used in contrast with spiritual or ideal it may connote the mundane, crass, or grasping <material values>. physical applies to what is perceived directly by the senses and may contrast with mental, spiritual, or imaginary <the physical benefits of exercise>. corporeal implies having the tangible qualities of a body such as shape, size, or resistance to force <artists have portrayed angels as corporeal beings>. phenomenal applies to what is known or perceived through the senses rather than by intuition or rational deduction <scientists concerned with the phenomenal world>. sensible stresses the capability of readily or forcibly impressing the senses <the earth's rotation is not sensible to us>. objective may stress material or independent existence apart from a subject perceiving it <no objective evidence of damage>. Synonym: see in addition relevant. II. noun Date: 1556 1. a. (1) the elements, constituents, or substances of which something is composed or can be made (2) matter that has qualities which give it individuality and by which it may be categorized <sticky material> <explosive materials> b. (1) something (as data) that may be worked into a more finished form <material for a biography> (2) something used for or made the object of study <material for the next semester> (3) a performer's repertoire <a comedian's material> c. matter 3b d. cloth e. a person potentially suited to some pursuit <varsity material> <leadership material> 2. a. apparatus necessary for doing or making something <writing materials> b. materiel

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 the matter from which a thing is made. 2 cloth, fabric. 3 (in pl.) things needed for an activity (building materials; cleaning materials; writing materials). 4 a person or thing of a specified kind or suitable for a purpose (officer material). 5 (in sing. or pl.) information etc. to be used in writing a book etc. (experimental material; materials for a biography). 6 (in sing. or pl., often foll. by of) the elements or constituent parts of a substance. --adj. 1 of matter; corporeal. 2 concerned with bodily comfort etc. (material well-being). 3 (of conduct, points of view, etc.) not spiritual. 4 (often foll. by to) important, essential, relevant (at the material time). 5 concerned with the matter, not the form, of reasoning. Derivatives: materiality n. Etymology: ME f. OF materiel, -al, f. LL materialis f. L (as MATTER)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Material Ma*te"ri*al, n. The substance or matter of which anything is made or may be made. Raw material, any crude, unfinished, or elementary materials that are adapted to use only by processes of skilled labor. Cotton, wool, ore, logs, etc., are raw material.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Material Ma*te"ri*al, v. t. To form from matter; to materialize. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Material Ma*te"ri*al, a. [L. materialis, fr. materia stuff, matter: cf. F. mat['e]riel. See Matter, and cf. Mat['E]riel.] 1. Consisting of matter; not spiritual; corporeal; physical; as, material substance or bodies. The material elements of the universe. --Whewell. 2. Hence: Pertaining to, or affecting, the physical nature of man, as distinguished from the mental or moral nature; relating to the bodily wants, interests, and comforts. 3. Of solid or weighty character; not insubstantial; of cinsequence; not be dispensed with; important. Discourse, which was always material, never trifling. --Evelyn. I shall, in the account of simple ideas, set down only such as are most material to our present purpose. --Locke. 4. (Logic.) Pertaining to the matter, as opposed to the form, of a thing. See Matter. Material cause. See under Cause. Material evidence (Law), evidence which conduces to the proof or disproof of a relevant hypothesis. --Wharton. Syn: Corporeal; bodily; important; weighty; momentous; essential.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(materials) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A material is a solid substance. ...electrons in a conducting material such as a metal. ...the design of new absorbent materials. N-VAR 2. Material is cloth. ...the thick material of her skirt... The materials are soft and comfortable to wear. N-MASS 3. Materials are the things that you need for a particular activity. The builders ran out of materials. ...sewing materials. N-PLURAL: usu supp N 4. Ideas or information that are used as a basis for a book, play, or film can be referred to as material. In my version of the story, I added some new material. N-UNCOUNT 5. Material things are related to possessions or money, rather than to more abstract things such as ideas or values. Every room must have been stuffed with material things. ...the material world. ? spiritual ADJ: usu ADJ n • materially He has tried to help this child materially and spiritually... ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj/-ed, ADV with cl 6. If you say that someone is a particular kind of material, you mean that they have the qualities or abilities to do a particular job or task. She was not university material... His message has changed little since he became presidential material. N-UNCOUNT: supp N 7. Material evidence or information is directly relevant and important in a legal or academic argument. (FORMAL) The nature and availability of material evidence was not to be discussed... ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Physical, corporeal, bodily. 2. Essential, important, momentous, vital, weighty. II. n. Matter, substance, stuff.

Moby Thesaurus

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