matter of fact

== English == === Etymology === First attested in the 16th century. === Pronunciation === === Noun === matter of fact (plural matters of fact) (law) An issue concerning the factual circumstances of a cause of action that is to be tried or proved; an allegation forming the basis of a claim or defense, as opposed to a matter of law. (by extension) A point of fact; a claim or statement about (empirical) facts, as opposed to conjecture or opinion. ==== Derived terms ==== as a matter of fact matter-of-fact matter-of-factly ==== Translations ==== === Phrase === matter of fact (colloquial, adverbial) Ellipsis of as a matter of fact. === See also === matter of course matter of routine === Further reading === Bryan A. Garner, editor (2015), Black's Law Dictionary, tenth abridged edition, Thomson Reuters, →ISBN “matter of fact”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.