# material

Pronunciation: say "muh-TEER-ee-uhl" US /məˈtɪɹ.i.əl/, UK /məˈtɪə.ɹi.əl/

## Noun

1. The basic substance, such as metal, wood, or plastic, from which an object is made.
   - Simple: The stuff something is made from, like wood, metal, or plastic.
   - _Engineers tested each material for strength before construction began._
   - _The factory recycles leftover materials into new products._
2. Information, ideas, or observations gathered to be shaped into a finished work or used to reach conclusions.
   - Simple: Facts, ideas, or notes you collect to build into something finished.
   - _The journalist collected enough material for a full investigation._
   - _Researchers drew on years of survey materials to reach their conclusions._
3. The elements, parts, or substance that make up something, whether physical or not.
   - Simple: The parts or substance that something is made of.
   - _Grief and joy are the material of great poetry._
   - _Small daily habits, more than any single choice, are the material from which a person's character is built._
4. Fabric or cloth, especially cloth used to make garments, curtains, or similar items.
   - Simple: Cloth used to make clothes, curtains, or other things.
   - _The tailor draped the material over the mannequin to check the fit._
   - _These materials fray easily, so handle them with care while sewing._
5. Equipment, supplies, or apparatus needed for doing or making something, such as writing materials or an army's stores.
   - Simple: The things and tools you need to do a job or activity.
   - _Students must bring their own writing materials, such as pens and pencils, to the exam._
   - _The art teacher handed out drawing materials: charcoal, erasers, and thick paper._
9. A person, or people as a group, who have the qualities needed for a particular position or activity.
   - Simple: A person who has what it takes for a certain job or role.
   - _The recruits showed they were leadership material under pressure._
   - _He was never management material, his boss admitted._
10. All the pieces and pawns a player holds on the chessboard, apart from the king.
   - Simple: The pieces and pawns a player has on the board, not counting the king.
   - _Trading pieces evenly keeps the material balanced for both sides._
   - _She sacrificed material to open lines of attack against the enemy king._

## Adjective

6. Of, relating to, or made up of matter; physical rather than abstract.
   - Simple: Made of or having to do with matter: real, physical things you can touch.
   - _Scientists study the material universe through observation and measurement._
   - _Philosophers distinguish material things from ideas and thoughts._
7. Having real importance or serious consequences; significant enough to affect an outcome.
   - Simple: Important enough to change a result or decision.
   - _The witness withheld material facts from the court._
   - _Investors must be told of any material risk before buying shares._
8. Relating to physical needs, comforts, or possessions rather than to intellectual or spiritual matters, sometimes implying too much concern with them.
   - Simple: Connected with bodily needs, comfort, money, or possessions rather than thoughts or spiritual life.
   - _She rejected the material lifestyle of her wealthy peers._
   - _After losing his job, he learned that material wealth could not make him happy._
11. Relating to the content or subject matter of reasoning, as distinguished from its logical form, especially when grounded in experience.
   - Simple: About the real content of an argument rather than its form.
   - _Logicians separate material questions about the facts from formal questions about valid structure._
   - _The material truth of the premises is a separate question from whether the argument is valid._

## Noun

12. Things considered as having substance or significance, taken collectively. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The solid, real things, taken together.
14. The ingredients gathered to make a bowl of whisky punch. *(rare, Ireland)*
   - Simple: The things you mix together to make whisky punch.

## Adjective

13. Rich in substance or meaning. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Full of real meaning, substance, or importance.

## Verb

15. To bring something into being from matter; to give an idea or essence physical form. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To make something real by giving it physical form.

## Other meanings

- (noun) An element of a design language tied to a particular style of rendering elements on a screen.

## Origin

It comes through Middle English from Late Latin "materialis," from Latin "materia" ("wood, material, substance"), which itself came from "mater" ("mother"). It is a doublet of "materiel."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/material (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).