material

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Related to material: materiel, Material Design, Material science

material

substance out of which a thing can be made: I bought the material for the drapes.

Not to be confused with:

materiel – equipment and supplies of a military force; an aggregate of things used in any business or undertaking: requisition the necessary materiel for the operation

ma·te·ri·al

(mə-tîr′ē-əl)

1. The substance or substances out of which a thing is or can be made.

2. Something, such as an idea or information, that is to be refined and made or incorporated into a finished effort: material for a comedy.

3. materials Tools or apparatus for the performance of a given task: writing materials.

4. Yard goods or cloth.

5. A person who is qualified or suited for a position or activity: The members of the board felt that she was vice-presidential material.

adj.

1. Of, relating to, or composed of matter.

2. Of, relating to, or affecting physical well-being; bodily: "the moral and material welfare of all good citizens" (Theodore Roosevelt).

3. Of or concerned with the physical as distinct from the intellectual or spiritual: "Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

4. Being both relevant and consequential; crucial: testimony material to the inquiry. See Synonyms at relevant.

5. Philosophy Of or relating to the matter of reasoning, rather than the form.

[Middle English, consisting of matter, material, from Old French, from Late Latin māteriālis, from Latin māteria, matter; see māter- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

material

(məˈtɪərɪəl)

1. the substance of which a thing is made or composed; component or constituent matter: raw material.

2. facts, notes, etc, that a finished work may be based on or derived from: enough material for a book.

3. (Textiles) cloth or fabric

4. a person who has qualities suitable for a given occupation, training, etc: that boy is not university material.

adj

5. of, relating to, or composed of physical substance; corporeal

6. (Philosophy) philosophy composed of or relating to physical as opposed to mental or spiritual substance: the material world.

7. of, relating to, or affecting economic or physical wellbeing: material ease.

8. of or concerned with physical rather than spiritual interests

9. of great import or consequence: of material benefit to the workers.

10. (often foll by to) relevant

11. (Philosophy) philosophy of or relating to matter as opposed to form

12. (Law) law relevant to the issue before court: applied esp to facts or testimony of much significance: a material witness.

[C14: via French from Late Latin māteriālis, from Latin māteria matter]

maˈterialness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ma•te•ri•al

(məˈtɪər i əl)

n.

1. the substance of which something is made or composed.

2. something that serves as crude or raw matter to be used or developed.

3. a constituent element.

4. a textile fabric.

5. ideas or facts that can provide the basis for or be incorporated into some work: to gather material for a book.

6. materials, the articles or apparatus needed to make or do something: writing materials.

7. a person considered as suited to a particular sphere of activity: college material.

adj.

8. formed or consisting of matter; physical; corporeal: the material world.

9. relating to, concerned with, or involving matter: material forces.

10. pertaining to the physical rather than the spiritual or intellectual aspect of things: material comforts.

11. worldly; not spiritual.

12. important: to make a material difference.

13. pertinent: a material question.

14. likely to influence the determination of a case: material evidence.

15. of or pertaining to matter as distinguished from form.

[1300–50; < Late Latin māteriālis of, belonging to matter]

ma•te′ri•al•ly, adv.

ma•te′ri•al•ness, n.

syn: See matter.

See Materials, Properties of

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	material - 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" stuff substance - the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists; "DNA is the substance of our genes" ballast - any heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airship bedding material, bedding, litter - material used to provide a bed for animals rind - the natural outer covering of food (usually removed before eating) precursor - a substance from which another substance is formed (especially by a metabolic reaction) corpuscle, mote, particle, speck, molecule, atom - (nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything ammunition - any nuclear or chemical or biological material that can be used as a weapon of mass destruction floc, floccule - a small loosely aggregated mass of flocculent material suspended in or precipitated from a liquid HAZMAT - an abbreviation for `hazardous material' used on warning signs; "NO HAZMATS IN TUNNEL" aggregate - material such as sand or gravel used with cement and water to make concrete, mortar, or plaster raw material, staple - material suitable for manufacture or use or finishing sorbate - a material that has been or is capable of being taken up by another substance by either absorption or adsorption sorbent, sorbent material - a material that sorbs another substance; i.e. that has the capacity or tendency to take it up by either absorption or adsorption diamagnet - a substance that exhibits diamagnetism mineral - solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition rock, stone - material consisting of the aggregate of minerals like those making up the Earth's crust; "that mountain is solid rock"; "stone is abundant in New England and there are many quarries" adhesive, adhesive agent, adhesive material - a substance that unites or bonds surfaces together sealing material - any substance used to seal joints or fill cracks in a porous surface animal material - material derived from animals fluff - any light downy material bimetal - material made by bonding together sheets of two different metals abradant, abrasive, abrasive material - a substance that abrades or wears down chemical, chemical substance - material produced by or used in a reaction involving changes in atoms or molecules composite material - strong lightweight material developed in the laboratory; fibers of more than one kind are bonded together chemically conductor - a substance that readily conducts e.g. electricity and heat dielectric, insulator, nonconductor - a material such as glass or porcelain with negligible electrical or thermal conductivity contaminant, contamination - a substance that contaminates particulate, particulate matter - a small discrete mass of solid or liquid matter that remains individually dispersed in gas or liquid emissions (usually considered to be an atmospheric pollutant) dust - free microscopic particles of solid material; "astronomers say that the empty space between planets actually contains measurable amounts of dust" elastomer - any of various elastic materials that resemble rubber (resumes its original shape when a deforming force is removed) earth, ground - the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface; "they dug into the earth outside the church" emission, discharge - a substance that is emitted or released detritus - loose material (stone fragments and silt etc) that is worn away from rocks waste, waste material, waste matter, waste product - any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted; "they collect the waste once a week"; "much of the waste material is carried off in the sewers" fiber, fibre - a slender and greatly elongated substance capable of being spun into yarn filling, fill - any material that fills a space or container; "there was not enough fill for the trench" foam - a lightweight material in cellular form; made by introducing gas bubbles during manufacture homogenate - material that has been homogenized (especially tissue that has been ground and mixed); "liver homogenate" humate - material that is high in humic acids impregnation - material with which something is impregnated; "the impregnation, whatever it was, had turned the rock blue" paper - a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses packing, packing material, wadding - any material used especially to protect something coloring material, colour, colouring material, color - any material used for its color; "she used a different color for the trim"
	2.	material - 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" info, information - a message received and understood rehash - old material that is slightly reworked and used again; "merely a dull rehash of his first novel" copy - material suitable for a journalistic account; "catastrophes make good copy"
	3.	material - 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" cloth, fabric, textile artefact, artifact - a man-made object taken as a whole aba - a fabric woven from goat hair and camel hair acrylic - a synthetic fabric Aertex - a trademark for a loosely woven cotton fabric that is used to make shirts and underwear alpaca - a thin glossy fabric made of the wool of the Lama pacos, or made of a rayon or cotton imitation of that wool baize - a bright green fabric napped to resemble felt; used to cover gaming tables basket weave - a cloth woven of two or more threads interlaced to suggest the weave of a basket batik - a dyed fabric; a removable wax is used where the dye is not wanted batiste - a thin plain-weave cotton or linen fabric; used for shirts or dresses belting - the material of which belts are made bombazine - a twilled fabric used for dresses; the warp is silk and the weft is worsted; "black bombazine is frequently used for mourning garments" boucle - a fabric of uneven yarn that has an uneven knobby effect broadcloth - a closely woven silk or synthetic fabric with a narrow crosswise rib broadcloth - a densely textured woolen fabric with a lustrous finish brocade - thick heavy expensive material with a raised pattern buckram - a coarse cotton fabric stiffened with glue; used in bookbinding and to stiffen clothing bunting - a loosely woven fabric used for flags, etc. calico - coarse cloth with a bright print cambric - a finely woven white linen camelhair, camel's hair - a soft tan cloth made with the hair of a camel camlet - a fabric of Asian origin; originally made of silk and camel's hair camo, camouflage - fabric dyed with splotches of green and brown and black and tan; intended to make the wearer of a garment made of this fabric hard to distinguish from the background canopy - the umbrellalike part of a parachute that fills with air canvas, canvass - a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents) cashmere - a soft fabric made from the wool of the Cashmere goat cerecloth - a waterproof waxed cloth once used as a shroud challis - a soft lightweight fabric (usually printed) chambray - a lightweight fabric woven with white threads across a colored warp chenille - a heavy fabric woven with chenille cord; used in rugs and bedspreads chiffon - a sheer fabric of silk or rayon chino - a coarse twilled cotton fabric frequently used for uniforms chintz - a brightly printed and glazed cotton fabric coating - a heavy fabric suitable for coats cobweb - a fabric so delicate and transparent as to resemble a web of a spider corduroy, cord - a cut pile fabric with vertical ribs; usually made of cotton cotton - fabric woven from cotton fibers Canton flannel, cotton flannel - a stout cotton fabric with nap on only one side crape, crepe - a soft thin light fabric with a crinkled surface cretonne - an unglazed heavy fabric; brightly printed; used for slipcovers and draperies crinoline - a stiff coarse fabric used to stiffen hats or clothing damask - a fabric of linen or cotton or silk or wool with a reversible pattern woven into it dungaree, jean, denim - a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric diamante - fabric covered with glittering ornaments such as sequins or rhinestones diaper - a fabric (usually cotton or linen) with a distinctive woven pattern of small repeated figures dimity - a strong cotton fabric with a raised pattern; used for bedcovers and curtains doeskin - a fine smooth soft woolen fabric drapery - cloth gracefully draped and arranged in loose folds duck - a heavy cotton fabric of plain weave; used for clothing and tents duffel, duffle - a coarse heavy woolen fabric edging - border consisting of anything placed on the edge to finish something (such as a fringe on clothing or on a rug) elastic - a fabric made of yarns containing an elastic material etamin, etamine - a soft cotton or worsted fabric with an open mesh; used for curtains or clothing etc. faille - a ribbed woven fabric of silk or rayon or cotton felt - a fabric made of compressed matted animal fibers vulcanized fiber, fibre, fiber - a leatherlike material made by compressing layers of paper or cloth flannel - a soft light woolen fabric; used for clothing flannelette - a cotton fabric imitating flannel fleece - a soft bulky fabric with deep pile; used chiefly for clothing foulard - a light plain-weave or twill-weave silk or silklike fabric (usually with a printed design)
	4.	material - things needed for doing or making something; "writing materials"; "useful teaching materials" equipment - an instrumentality needed for an undertaking or to perform a service packaging - material used to make packages railing - material for making rails or rails collectively roofing - material used to construct a roof
	5.	material - a person judged suitable for admission or employment; "he was university material"; "she was vice-presidential material" applicant, applier - a person who requests or seeks something such as assistance or employment or admission
Adj.	1.	material - concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests; "material possessions"; "material wealth"; "material comforts" worldly, secular, temporal - characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world; "worldly goods and advancement"; "temporal possessions of the church"
	2.	material - derived from or composed of matter; "the material universe" substantial, material, real - 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 nonmaterial, immaterial - not consisting of matter; "immaterial apparitions"; "ghosts and other immaterial entities"
	3.	material - 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" immaterial - of no importance or relevance especially to a law case; "an objection that is immaterial after the fact"
	4.	material - 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 physical - involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit; "physical exercise"; "physical suffering"; "was sloppy about everything but her physical appearance"
	5.	material - having material or physical form or substance; "that which is created is of necessity corporeal and visible and tangible" - Benjamin Jowett corporeal bodied - having a body or a body of a specified kind; often used in combination; "strong-bodied"; "big-bodied"
	6.	material - 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 substantial, real material - derived from or composed of matter; "the material universe"

material

noun

1. substance, body, matter, stuff, elements, constituents the decomposition of organic material

2. cloth, stuff, fabric, textile the thick material of her skirt

3. information, work, details, facts, notes, evidence, particulars, data, info (informal), subject matter, documentation In my version of the story, I added some new material.

plural noun

1. stuff, things, articles, items, necessaries loo rolls, light bulbs, cleaning materials

adjective

1. physical, worldly, solid, substantial, concrete, fleshly, bodily, tangible, palpable, corporeal, nonspiritual the material world

2. sensual, physical, fleshly, bodily, corporal, materialistic, carnal the renunciation of material pleasures

3. relevant, important, significant, essential, vital, key, serious, grave, meaningful, applicable, indispensable, momentous, weighty, pertinent, consequential, apposite, apropos, germane The company failed to disclose material information.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

material

noun

1. That from which things are or can be made:

matter, stuff, substance.

Idiom: grist for one's mill.

2. Things needed for a task, journey, or other purpose.Used in plural:

accouterment (often used in plural), apparatus, equipment, gear, materiel, outfit, paraphernalia, rig, tackle, thing (used in plural), turnout.

3. The basic substance or essential elements of character that qualify a person for a specified role:

stuff, timber.

adjective

1. Composed of or relating to things that occupy space and can be perceived by the senses:

concrete, corporeal, objective, phenomenal, physical, sensible, substantial, tangible.

2. Of or preoccupied with material rather than spiritual or intellectual things:

materialistic, sensual.

3. Related to the matter at hand:

applicable, apposite, apropos, germane, pertinent, relevant.

Idiom: to the point.

4. Having great significance:

big, consequential, considerable, historic, important, large, meaningful, monumental, significant, substantial.

Translations

جَوْهَري، أساسي، مُهِمقُمَاشقِماشمَادَّةٌمادَّه

materiállátkamateriálnípodstatnýhmotný

materialestofmaterielstofligverdslig

Material Stoff materiell Rohstoff stofflich

υλικό

ŝtofo

material tela materia esencial primordial

materiaaliraaka-ainekangas

matériau matériel étoffe tissu matière

materijal

anyagi

efniefni, vefnaîarvaraefnislegur, efnis-mikilvægur, nauîsynlegurveraldlegur, veraldar-

materiale occorrente per scrivere stoffa arnesi essenziale

材料生地

재료직물

įgyti materialų pavidaląmaterialiaimaterialinismaterializacijamaterialus

audumsbūtisks, svarīgsmateriālsmateriāls, mantisks

materiaal stof

materiale materiell stoff stofflig verdslig

materiał

material tecido

материал материальный ткань вещественный

materiálmateriálny

blagogradivomaterialmaterialenpotrebščine

materialmaterielltyg

ผ้าวัสดุ

malzeme önemlidünyevîfiziksel kumaş

vảivật liệu

材料物质上的物质的重要的世俗的

material

[məˈtɪərɪəl]

A. ADJ

1. (= physical) [goods, needs, comforts, benefits, damage] → material
to do sth for material gain → hacer algo para obtener un beneficio material
material possessions → bienes mpl materiales
the material world → el mundo físico

2. (= important) [reason] → importante, de peso, fundamental

3. (Jur) (= relevant) [fact] → pertinente; [witness] → primordial, principal
material evidence → pruebas fpl sustanciales
to be material to sth → ser pertinente a algo

B. N

1. (= cloth) → tela f, tejido m

2. (= substance) → materia f, material m
natural materials → materias fpl naturales, materiales mpl naturales
raw materials → materias fpl primas

3. materials (= equipment, components) → material(es) m(pl)
building materials → material(es) m(pl) de construcción
teaching materials → material(es) m(pl) didácticos
writing materials → artículos mpl de escritorio

4. (= information) → datos mpl, información f
they researched a lot of background material for the book → recogieron muchos datos or mucha información antes de escribir el libro
she was busy gathering material for her article → estaba ocupada recogiendo datos or información para su artículo

5. (= potential) he is university material → tiene madera de universitario
he is not management material → no tiene madera de jefe

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

material

[məˈtɪəriəl]

(= substance) → matériau m

(= cloth) → tissu m

(= ideas, information) → matériel m, matériaux mpl
I'm collecting material for my project → Je rassemble des matériaux pour mon projet., Je rassemble du matériel pour mon projet. reading material

adj

[possessions, benefit, advantage] → matériel(le)

(= physical) [world, thing] → matériel(le)
the material world → le monde matériel

(= important) → matériel(le)

(= relevant) material evidence → preuve f matérielle

(= actual) in material breach of sth → en violation patente de qch materials

npl (used for work) → matériaux mpl
writing materials → matériel d'écriture

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

material

adj

(= of matter, things) → materiell; material damage → Sachschaden m

(= physical) needs, comforts → materiell

(esp Jur: = important) evidence, witness → wesentlich; difference → grundlegend, wesentlich; fact, information → relevant; that’s not material → das ist nicht relevant

→ Material nt; (for report, novel etc) → Stoff m; he’s good editorial material → er hat das Zeug zum Redakteur; this group would be good material for our show → diese Band wäre für unsere Show ganz brauchbar

materials pl → Material nt; building materials → Baustoffe pl, → Baumaterial nt; raw materials → Rohstoffe pl; writing materials → Schreibzeug nt

(= cloth) → Stoff m, → Material nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

material

[məˈtɪərɪəl]

1. adj

a. (things, needs, success) → materiale

b. (important) → sostanziale, essenziale; (relevant) material to → pertinente a (Law) (evidence) → determinante
a material witness → un testimone chiave

2. n

a. (substance) → materiale m, materia; (cloth) → stoffa, tessuto
she is university material → è una che dovrebbe continuare gli studi
he is officer material → ha la stoffa dell'ufficiale

b. (equipment) materials npl → occorrente m
building materials → materiali mpl da costruzione
have you any writing materials? → hai l'occorrente per scrivere?

c. (for novel, report) → materiale m, documentazione f

material

(məˈtiəriəl) noun

1. anything out of which something is, or may be, made. Tables are usually made from solid material such as wood.

2. cloth. I'd like three metres of blue woollen material.

adjective

1. consisting of solid(s), liquid(s), gas(es) or any combination of these. the material world.

2. belonging to the world; not spiritual. He wanted material things like money, possessions and power.

3. essential or important. evidence that is material to his defence.

maˈterially adverb

to a great or important extent. Circumstances have changed materially.

maˈterialize, maˈterialise verb

1. to take solid or bodily form. The figure materialized as we watched with astonishment.

2. (of something expected or hoped for) to happen. I don't think her plans will materialize.

maˌterialiˈzation, maˌterialiˈsation noun

material

→ قُمَاش, مَادَّةٌ látka, materiál materiale, stof Material, Stoff υλικό material, tela kangas, materiaali étoffe, matière materijal materiale 材料, 生地 재료, 직물 materiaal material, materiale materiał material, tecido материал, ткань material, tyg ผ้า, วัสดุ malzeme vải, vật liệu 材料

ma·te·ri·al

n. materia; asunto;

a. material; esencial.

What is the material? → Co je to za materiál? → Hvad er den lavet af? → Was ist das für ein Material? → Τι υλικό είναι; → ¿De qué está hecho? → Mistä materiaalista se on tehty? → C'est fait en quoi ? → Koji je ovo materijal? → Di che materiale è fatto? → 材料は何ですか？ → 재료가 무엇인가요? → Wat is dit voor materiaal? → Hva er den laget av? → Z czego jest to wykonane? → Qual é o material? → Vad är den gjordav? → วัสดุอะไร? → Neden yapılmış? → Chất liệu là gì? → 这是什么材料制作的？

material

n material m

References in classic literature ?

A Bricklayer earnestly recommended bricks as affording the best material for an effective resistance.

View in context

However, as nothing past in it which can be thought material to this history, or, indeed, very material in itself, I shall omit the relation; the rather, as I have known some very fine polite conversation grow extremely dull, when transcribed into books, or repeated on the stage.

View in context

The first remedy or prevention is to remove, by all means possible, that material cause of sedition whereof we spake; which is, want and poverty in the estate.

View in context

This conception is the one handle by means of which the material of history, as at present expounded, can be dealt with, and anyone who breaks that handle off, as Buckle did, without finding some other method of treating historical material, merely deprives himself of the one possible way of dealing with it.

View in context

When the author came to revise the material, he found sins against taste which his zeal for righteousness could not suffice to atone for.

View in context

Meanwhile the physicists, especially Einstein and other exponents of the theory of relativity, have been making "matter" less and less material. Their world consists of "events," from which "matter" is derived by a logical construction.

View in context

"But you said yourself the people are at such a low stage of material development: what help are schools for that?"

View in context

I think, then, that we ought to adopt a material excellent in its way and of low price, such as cast iron.

View in context

A second and more practical, but less systematic, form of this Socialism sought to depreciate every revolutionary movement in the eyes of the working class, by showing that no mere political reform, but only a change in the material conditions of existence, in economic relations, could be of any advantage to them.

View in context

For instance, a certain point of grammatical knowledge is present in the mind, but is not predicable of any subject; or again, a certain whiteness may be present in the body (for colour requires a material basis), yet it is never predicable of anything.

View in context

There is little definite material for an answer to this question, but the probability is that there were at least three contributory causes.

View in context

I hope that the list of available inexpensive editions of the chief authors may suggest a practical method of providing the material, especially for colleges which can provide enough copies for class use.