material

n.

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.]

materialness ma·te'ri·al·ness n.

1. raw material, direct or indirect. An example is steel to make a car. Usually accounted for separately by a debit to materials (stores control) and a credit to accounts payable or cash. When materials are transferred to work-in-process, inventory is credited.

2. Relatively important and significant in dollar amounts. See also Materiality.

noun

1. That from which things are or can be made: matter, stuff, substance. Idioms: grist for one's mill. See matter.
2. Things needed for a task, journey, or other purpose. accouterment (often used in plural), apparatus, equipment, gear, materiel, outfit, paraphernalia, rig, tackle, thing (used in plural), turnout. See means.
3. The basic substance or essential elements of character that qualify a person for a specified role: stuff, timber. See be.

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. See body/spirit, matter.
2. Of or preoccupied with material rather than spiritual or intellectual things: materialistic, sensual. See body/spirit.
3. Related to the matter at hand: applicable, apposite, apropos, germane, pertinent, relevant. Idioms: to the point. See relevant/irrelevant.
4. Having great significance: big, consequential, considerable, historic, important, large, meaningful, monumental, significant, substantial. See important/unimportant.

adj

Definition: bodily, tangible
Antonyms: abstract, ethereal, incorporeal, intangible, mental, spiritual

adj

Definition: important, relevant
Antonyms: immaterial, insignificant, irrelevant, unimportant, unsubstantial

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n

Substance(s).

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

Important; affecting the merits of a case; causing a particular course of action; significant; substantial. A description of the quality of evidence that possesses such substantial probative value as to establish the truth or falsity of a point in issue in a lawsuit.

A material fact is an occurrence, event, or information that is sufficiently significant to influence an individual into acting in a certain way, such as entering into a contract. In formal court procedures, a material fact is anything needed to prove one party's case, or tending to establish a point that is crucial to a person's position.

A material issue is a question that is in dispute between two parties involved in litigation, and that must be answered in order for the conflict to be resolved.

A material witness is a person whose testimony is a necessary element of a lawsuit. An individual who is considered a material witness can be compelled to appear in court and provide testimony. In the event that the person's safety is endangered as a result of his or her planned or actual testimony, he or she may be given legal protection or held in protective custody.

A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

adj.

Having an actual existence, as distinguished from an imaginary one. Important.

    Material things I know, or fell, or see;
    All else is immaterial to me.
                                                      Jamrach Holobom

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IN BRIEF: Of or having to do with matter.. Also: What a thing is made up of .

Inventing is a combination of brains and materials. The more brains you use, the less material you need. — Charles Kettering (1876-1958)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - materiale, ingredienser, stof
adj. - materiel, stoflig, væsentlig, vigtig

idioms:

• building material    byggematerialer
• insulating material    isoleringsmateriale
• reading material    læsestof
• smoking materials    rygeting
• writing materials    skrivesager

Nederlands (Dutch)
materiaal, stof, repertoire, persoon met potentiaal voor, artikelen/ gebruiksmateriaal, stoffelijk, materieel, wezenlijk, lichamelijk, inhoudelijk, empirisch

Français (French)
n. - matériel, documentation, documents, sujet, (Théât, TV) texte, spectacle, (Mus) chansons, (gén) matière, substance, (Constr, Tech) matériau, tissu, étoffe, (fig) étoffe, capable
adj. - matériel, important, pertinent

idioms:

• building material    matériau de construction
• insulating material    matériau isolant
• reading material    lecture, documentation
• smoking materials    articles pour fumeurs
• writing materials    fournitures de bureau

Deutsch (German)
n. - Material, Stoff
adj. - materiell, wesentlich

idioms:

• building material    Baustoff
• insulating material    Isoliermaterial
• reading material    Lesestoff
• smoking materials    Rauchwaren
• writing materials    Schreibwaren

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ύλη, υλικό, ύφασμα, στόφα
adj. - υλικός, υλιστικός, ουσιώδης, καίριος, σημαντικός, ενυπόστατος

idioms:

• building material    δομική ύλη, οικοδομικό υλικό
• insulating material    μονωτικό υλικό
• reading material    αναγνώσματα, υλικό για διάβασμα
• smoking materials    είδη (τσιγάρα κ.λπ.) που δημιουργούν καπνό
• writing materials    γραφική ύλη

Italiano (Italian)
materiale, stoffa, essenziale

idioms:

• building material    materiale da costruzione
• insulating material    materiale isolante
• reading material    letture
• smoking materials    articoli per fumatori
• writing materials    cancelleria

Português (Portuguese)
n. - material (m), tecido (m)
adj. - material, importante, pertinente

idioms:

• building material    material de construção
• insulating material    material de isolamento
• reading material    material escrito
• smoking materials    materiais fumegantes
• writing materials    material para escrever

Русский (Russian)
материал, факты, ткань, материальный, вещественный, имущественный, важный

idioms:

• building material    строительный материал
• insulating material    изоляционный материал
• reading material    материал для чтения
• smoking materials    принадлежности для курения
• writing materials    канцелярские принадлежности

Español (Spanish)
n. - material, materia, tela, tejido, hechos, datos, elementos
adj. - pertinente, grande, enorme, esencial, fundamental

idioms:

• building material    materiales de construcción
• insulating material    material aislante
• reading material    material de lectura
• smoking materials    artículos para fumadores
• writing materials    útiles de escritorio

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - material, stoff, tyg
adj. - materiell, kroppslig, materialistisk, väsentlig, relevant, av avgörande vikt

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
材料, 物资, 原料, 物质的, 具体的, 肉体的

idioms:

• building material    建筑材料
• insulating material    隔离材料, 绝缘材料
• reading material    阅读材料, 读物
• smoking materials    抽烟器具
• writing materials    笔墨纸张, 文房四宝

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 材料, 物資, 原料
adj. - 物質的, 具體的, 肉體的

idioms:

• building material    建築材料
• insulating material    隔離材料, 絕緣材料
• reading material    閱讀材料, 讀物
• smoking materials    抽煙器具
• writing materials    筆墨紙張, 文房四寶

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 원료, 도구, 소재, 인격
adj. - 원료의, 물질적인, 감각적인, 필요한

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 原料, 材料, 生地, 道具, 用具, 資料, 構成要素, 素材, 人材, 服地
adj. - 物質の, 物質的な, 不可欠の, 肉体的な, 判決の決め手になる

idioms:

• insulating material    絶縁材, 絶縁材料

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مادة, قماش, أساس, (صفه) مادي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חומר, אריג, בד‬
adj. - ‮מהותי, יסודי, חשוב, גופני, חומרי, גשמי‬

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material	fleece material
sewing material	roofing material