material

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English material, from Late Latin māteriālis, from Latin māteria (“wood, material, substance”), from māter (“mother”). Displaced native Middle English andweorc, andwork (“material, matter”) (from Old English andweorc (“matter, substance, material”)). Doublet of materiel. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA(key): /məˈtɪə.ɹi.əl/ (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /məˈtɪɹ.i.əl/ Hyphenation: ma‧te‧ri‧al === Adjective === material (comparative more material, superlative most material) Of, relating to, or consisting of matter, especially physical. Of, relating to, or affecting physical well-being; corporeal; bodily. Antonym: spiritual (logic) Of or relating to the matter of reasoning, as distinguished from the form of it, especially empirical. (especially law) Having real importance or great consequences; significant; substantial. Antonym: immaterial Relating to or concerned with what is purely physical rather than intellectual or spiritual, especially excessively so; materialistic. (obsolete) Full of substance or otherwise meaning. Synonyms: bulky, massive, solid, meaty (obsolete) In an important degree. ==== Synonyms ==== (related to matter): See also Thesaurus:substantial (significant): See also Thesaurus:pertinent ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Noun === material (countable and uncountable, plural materials) A basic matter (as metal, wood, plastic, fiber, etc.) from which the whole or the greater part of something physical (as a machine, tool, building, fabric, etc.) is made. Synonym: raw material (sometimes collective, preceded by a qualifying word) A person, or people collectively, who are qualified or suited for a certain position or activity. (usually plural) Apparatus for doing or making something. Something (as data, observations, perceptions or ideas) that may be incorporated, elaborated or otherwise reworked into a finished form or new form, or may serve as the basis for arriving at interpretations, judgments or conclusions. Fabric, which can be made into a garments, curtains, etc; especially, woven fabric (cloth). a piece of material The elements, constituents or substance of which something physical or non-physical composed of or can be made of. (graphical user interface) An element of a design language associated with a certain style of rendering on the display. (chess) All of a player's pieces and pawns on the chessboard, excluding the king. (Ireland, now rare) The ingredients for making whisky punch. Synonym: matts (rare) The materiel of an army. (obsolete) Things that are material. ==== Synonyms ==== See also Thesaurus:material ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== matter ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== materiel === Verb === material (third-person singular simple present materials, present participle (US) materialing or (UK) materialling, simple past and past participle (US) materialed or (UK) materialled) (obsolete, transitive) To form from matter; to materialize. === References === “material, adj., n. & v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000. Philip Babcock Gove et al., editors (1961), “material n”, in Webster's Third New International Dictionary […], volume II (H to R), published 1981, →ISBN, page 1392 === Further reading === “material”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN. === Anagrams === Armalite == Catalan == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin materiālis. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [mə.tə.ɾiˈal] IPA(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ma.te.ɾiˈal] === Adjective === material m or f (masculine and feminine plural materials) relative to material substance or matter, that is physical or existing in the real world Synonyms: real, físic, substancial Antonyms: espiritual, ideal, immaterial, incorpori, irreal === Noun === material m (plural materials) material, things or tools used in an operation, in a service. material, components that go into the construction or the composition of something. (plural) material, data, ideas, or documents that serve to compose an intellectual work. ==== Related terms ==== matèria === Further reading === “material”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 == Crimean Tatar == === Etymology === From Latin materialis. === Noun === material material ==== Declension ==== === References === Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002), Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎[5], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN == Galician == === Noun === material m (plural materiais) material == Indonesian == === Etymology === From Dutch materiaal. Doublet of materiel. === Pronunciation === (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /mateˈrial/ [ma.t̪eˈri.al] Rhymes: -al Syllabification: ma‧te‧ri‧al === Noun === matérial (plural material-material) material (matter which may be shaped or manipulated, particularly in making something) ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “material”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016 == Middle English == === Alternative forms === materiel, materiall, materyal, materyall, matryal === Etymology === Borrowed from Middle French materiel and its etymon Latin māteriālis; equivalent to matere +‎ -al. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /maˌtɛːriˈal/, /maˈtɛːrial/ (from Latin māteriālis) IPA(key): /maˌtɛːriˈɛːl/, /maˈtɛːriɛl/ (from Middle French materiel) === Adjective === material (plural and weak singular materiale) Extant in matter or having physical form; material. Not supernatural or spiritual; regular, conventional, worldly. Being the physical attributes or properties of a thing. Affecting or modifying physical matter or attributes. (rare) Prominent, significant. ==== Descendants ==== English: material ==== References ==== “mā̆teriāl, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 12 March 2019. == Norwegian Bokmål == === Etymology === From Late Latin materiale. === Noun === material n (definite singular materialet, indefinite plural material or materialer, definite plural materiala or materialene) alternative form of materiale ==== Derived terms ==== råmaterial === References === “material” in The Bokmål Dictionary. == Portuguese == === Etymology === Borrowed from Late Latin māteriālis, from Latin māteria (“wood, material, substance”), from māter (“mother”). By surface analysis, matéria +‎ -al. === Pronunciation === (Northeast Brazil) IPA(key): /ma.tɛ.ɾiˈaw/ [ma.tɛ.ɾɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /ma.tɛˈɾjaw/ [ma.tɛˈɾjaʊ̯] Rhymes: -al, -aw Hyphenation: ma‧te‧ri‧al === Noun === material m (plural materiais) material; stuff (the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object) material (sample or specimens for study) footage (amount of film produced) (education) resources used in class tackle; supplies; gear; rig (objects collected for use in a particular activity) material escolar ― school supplies material de pesca ― fishing gear === Adjective === material m or f (plural materiais) (chemistry) material (relating to or composed of matter) (religion) material; worldly (relating to physical rather than spiritual matters) Synonym: terreno (of a person, derogatory) materialistic; consumeristic (obsessed with consumer goods) Synonyms: materialista, consumista ==== Derived terms ==== materialismo materialista materialmente ==== Related terms ==== matéria === Further reading === “material”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “material”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Etymology === Borrowed from French matériel, from Latin materialis. By surface analysis, materie +‎ -al. === Noun === material n (plural materiali) material ==== Declension ==== === Adjective === material m or n (feminine singular materială, masculine plural materiali, feminine/neuter plural materiale) material ==== Declension ==== == Spanish == === Etymology === Borrowed from Late Latin māteriālis. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /mateˈɾjal/ [ma.t̪eˈɾjal] Rhymes: -al Syllabification: ma‧te‧rial === Adjective === material m or f (masculine and feminine plural materiales) material === Noun === material m (plural materiales) material ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Tagalog: materyal === Further reading === “material”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 == Swedish == === Pronunciation === === Noun === material n a material a matter, a subject (of study) ==== Declension ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “material”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)