matter

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Contents

English [edit]

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Wikipedia

Etymology [edit]

From Middle English mater, matere, from Anglo-Norman matere, materie, from Old French materie, matiere, from Latin materia (“matter, stuff, material”), derivative of Latin mater (“mother”). Displaced native Middle English andweorc, andwork (“material, matter”) (from Old English andweorc (“matter, substance, material”)), Old English intinga (“matter, affair, business”).

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

matter (countable and uncountable; plural matters)

  1. (physics) The basic structural component of the universe. Matter usually has mass and volume.
  2. (physics) Matter made up of normal particles, not antiparticles. (Non-antimatter matter).
  3. A kind of substance.
    vegetable matter
  4. A condition, subject or affair, especially one of concern.
    What's the matter?
    state matters
    • 12 July 2012, Sam Adams, AV Club Ice Age: Continental Drift
      The matter of whether the world needs a fourth Ice Age movie pales beside the question of why there were three before it, but Continental Drift feels less like an extension of a theatrical franchise than an episode of a middling TV cartoon, lolling around on territory that’s already been settled.
  5. An approximate amount or extent.
    a matter of months; a matter of knowledge.
  6. Written material (especially in books or magazines)
    He always took some reading matter with him on the plane
  7. (philosophy) Aristotelian: undeveloped potentiality subject to change and development; formlessness. Matter receives form, and becomes substance.

Synonyms [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

Terms derived from the noun "matter"

Related terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

basic structural component of the universe
non-antimatter matter
kind of substance
reason for concern
situation
cause
neurology: nerve tissue type
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb [edit]

matter (third-person singular simple present matters, present participle mattering, simple past and past participle mattered)

  1. (intransitive) To be important.
    The only thing that matters to Jim is being rich.
    Sorry for pouring ketchup on your clean white shirt! - Oh, don't worry, it does not matter.
    • 2011 April 10, Alistair Magowan, “Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle”, BBC Sport:
      Despite further attempts by Agbonlahor and Young, however, they could not find the goal to reward their endeavour.
      It mattered little as Newcastle's challenge faded and Villa began to dominate the game in midfield, and it was only Barton's continued sense of injustice that offered the visitors any spark in a tame contest.
  2. (transitive, obsolete except dialectal) To care about, to mind; to find important.
    • 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society 1973, p. 47:
      Besides, if it had been out of doors I had not mattered it so much; but with my own servant, in my own house, under my own roof [...]

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

to be important

Statistics [edit]

French [edit]

Verb [edit]

matter

  1. Alternative spelling of mater.

Conjugation [edit]

   Conjugation of matter (see also Appendix:French verbs)
simple compound
infinitive matter avoir or être matté
gerund en mattant en ayant matté or en étant matté
present participle mattant
past participle matté
person singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il nous vous ils
simple
tenses		 present matte mattes matte mattons mattez mattent
imperfect mattais mattais mattait mattions mattiez mattaient
past historic1 mattai mattas matta mattâmes mattâtes mattèrent
future matterai matteras mattera matterons matterez matteront
conditional matterais matterais matterait matterions matteriez matteraient
compound
tenses		 present perfect Use the present tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
pluperfect Use the imperfect tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
past anterior1 Use the past historic tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
future perfect Use the future tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
conditional perfect Use the conditional tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il que nous que vous qu’ils
simple
tenses		 present matte mattes matte mattions mattiez mattent
imperfect1 mattasse mattasses mattât mattassions mattassiez mattassent
compound
tenses		 past Use the present subjunctive of avoir or être followed by the past participle
pluperfect1 Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir or être followed by the past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
— matte — mattons mattez —
1literary tenses

Anagrams [edit]

German [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

  • IPA: /ˈmatɐ/

Adjective [edit]

matter

  1. strong masculine singular nominative form of matt.
  2. strong feminine singular genitive form of matt.
  3. strong feminine singular dative form of matt.
  4. strong plural genitive form of matt.
  5. mixed masculine singular nominative form of matt.
  6. comparative form of matt
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