matter
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English [edit]
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]
- (RP) IPA: /ˈmætə/, X-SAMPA: /"m{t@/
- (GenAm) IPA: /ˈmætɚ/, X-SAMPA: /"m{t@`/
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Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ætə(ɹ)
- Hyphenation: mat‧ter
Noun [edit]
matter (countable and uncountable; plural matters)
- (physics) The basic structural component of the universe. Matter usually has mass and volume.
- (physics) Matter made up of normal particles, not antiparticles. (Non-antimatter matter).
- A kind of substance.
- vegetable matter
- 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.
- An approximate amount or extent.
- a matter of months; a matter of knowledge.
- Written material (especially in books or magazines)
- He always took some reading matter with him on the plane
- (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"
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Related terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
basic structural component of the universe
non-antimatter matter
kind of substance
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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)
- (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.
- Despite further attempts by Agbonlahor and Young, however, they could not find the goal to reward their endeavour.
- (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 [...]
- 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society 1973, p. 47:
Derived terms [edit]
- it doesn't matter
- no matter - In spite of
Translations [edit]
to be important
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Statistics [edit]
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Most common English words before 1923: public · others · anything · #289: matter · passed · true · friend
French [edit]
Verb [edit]
matter
- 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
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Anglo-Norman
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- en:Physics
- en:Philosophy
- English verbs
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English dialectal terms
- French verbs
- French alternative forms
- French first group verbs
- German adjective forms
- German adjective comparative forms