materia

See also: matéria and matèria

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin māteria (“matter, the material world”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /məˈti(ɚ).ɹi.ə/
• Rhymes: -ɪɹiə, -ɪəɹiə

Noun

materia (uncountable)

1. (uncommon, higher register) The physical substances which create the natural world: matter, materials, substance, etc.

   Synonym: matter

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin māteria. Cf. madera.

Noun

materia f (plural materies)

1. subject (main topic)
2. material world
3. matter

Finnish

Etymology

Internationalism, ultimately from Latin māteria.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑteriɑ/, [ˈmɑ̝t̪e̞ˌriɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -iɑ
• Syllabification^(key): ma‧te‧ri‧a
• Hyphenation^(key): ma‧te‧ria

Noun

materia

1. matter

Declension

Inflection of materia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative		materia	materiat
genitive		materian	materioiden materioitten
partitive		materiaa	materioita
illative		materiaan	materioihin
		singular	plural
nominative		materia	materiat
accusative	nom.	materia	materiat
	gen.	materian
genitive		materian	materioiden materioitten materiain rare
partitive		materiaa	materioita
inessive		materiassa	materioissa
elative		materiasta	materioista
illative		materiaan	materioihin
adessive		materialla	materioilla
ablative		materialta	materioilta
allative		materialle	materioille
essive		materiana	materioina
translative		materiaksi	materioiksi
abessive		materiatta	materioitta
instructive		—	materioin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of materia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative materiani materiani accusative nom. materiani materiani gen. materiani genitive materiani materioideni materioitteni materiaini rare partitive materiaani materioitani inessive materiassani materioissani elative materiastani materioistani illative materiaani materioihini adessive materiallani materioillani ablative materialtani materioiltani allative materialleni materioilleni essive materianani materioinani translative materiakseni materioikseni abessive materiattani materioittani instructive — — comitative — materioineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative materiasi materiasi accusative nom. materiasi materiasi gen. materiasi genitive materiasi materioidesi materioittesi materiaisi rare partitive materiaasi materioitasi inessive materiassasi materioissasi elative materiastasi materioistasi illative materiaasi materioihisi adessive materiallasi materioillasi ablative materialtasi materioiltasi allative materiallesi materioillesi essive materianasi materioinasi translative materiaksesi materioiksesi abessive materiattasi materioittasi instructive — — comitative — materioinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative materiamme materiamme accusative nom. materiamme materiamme gen. materiamme genitive materiamme materioidemme materioittemme materiaimme rare partitive materiaamme materioitamme inessive materiassamme materioissamme elative materiastamme materioistamme illative materiaamme materioihimme adessive materiallamme materioillamme ablative materialtamme materioiltamme allative materiallemme materioillemme essive materianamme materioinamme translative materiaksemme materioiksemme abessive materiattamme materioittamme instructive — — comitative — materioinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative materianne materianne accusative nom. materianne materianne gen. materianne genitive materianne materioidenne materioittenne materiainne rare partitive materiaanne materioitanne inessive materiassanne materioissanne elative materiastanne materioistanne illative materiaanne materioihinne adessive materiallanne materioillanne ablative materialtanne materioiltanne allative materiallenne materioillenne essive materiananne materioinanne translative materiaksenne materioiksenne abessive materiattanne materioittanne instructive — — comitative — materioinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative materiansa materiansa accusative nom. materiansa materiansa gen. materiansa genitive materiansa materioidensa materioittensa materiainsa rare partitive materiaansa materioitaan materioitansa inessive materiassaan materiassansa materioissaan materioissansa elative materiastaan materiastansa materioistaan materioistansa illative materiaansa materioihinsa adessive materiallaan materiallansa materioillaan materioillansa ablative materialtaan materialtansa materioiltaan materioiltansa allative materialleen materiallensa materioilleen materioillensa essive materianaan materianansa materioinaan materioinansa translative materiakseen materiaksensa materioikseen materioiksensa abessive materiattaan materiattansa materioittaan materioittansa instructive — — comitative — materioineen materioinensa

Synonyms

• aine

Derived terms

compounds

• antimateria

Related terms

• materiaali
• materialismi
• materialisti

Further reading

• “materia”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

Anagrams

• maireat

Italian

Alternative forms

• matera (archaic, regional)

Etymology

Latinization of older matera, from Latin māteria.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈtɛ.rja/
• Rhymes: -ɛrja
• Hyphenation: ma‧tè‧ria

Noun

materia f (plural materie)

1. matter, substance, material, stuff
2. subject-matter, matter, subject, topic

Antonyms

• antimateria

Related terms

• materiale
• materia prima
• materico

Anagrams

• amartie, ametria, armiate, ramiate, riamate

Ladin

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin māteria.

Noun

materia f (plural materies)

1. matter, material

Latin

Alternative forms

• māteriēs

Etymology

Traditionally derived from māter (“mother, at least in the sense of 'source'”) +‎ -ia, in which case cognate with Old Armenian մայր (mayr, “cedar”) and մայրի (mayri, “forest”). Sense 1 is a semantic loan from Ancient Greek ὕλη (húlē, “wood, matter”), introduced by Cicero.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [maːˈtɛ.ri.a]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [maˈtɛː.ri.a]

Noun

māteria f (genitive māteriae); first declension

2. matter; material; component stuff; substance
   • c. 125 CE – 180 CE, Apuleius, Metamorphoses 2.31:

     Et vellem, herculēs, māteriam repperīrem aliquam quam deus tantus affluenter indueret.

     And, by Hercules, I would like to find [clothing] material that such a great god could wear in flowing folds.

3. timber

   Synonym: lignum

4. (figurative) source, origin

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	māteria	māteriae
genitive	māteriae	māteriārum
dative	māteriae	māteriīs
accusative	māteriam	māteriās
ablative	māteriā	māteriīs
vocative	māteria	māteriae

Derived terms

• māterior

Descendants

• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: matera, materia (latinized)
  • Sicilian: matera, matèria (latinized)
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Old Franco-Provençal: maieiri
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: madera
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: madeira
    • Fala: madeira, maeira, meira
    • Galician: madeira
    • Portuguese: madeira
  • Old Spanish: madera
    • Spanish: madera

Borrowings:

• → Asturian: materia
• → English: materia (learned)
• → Franco-Provençal: matièri
• → German: Materie
• → Hunsrik: Materje
• → Ladin: materia
• → Old French: matere
  • French: matière
  • → Middle Dutch: materie (see there for further descendants)
  • → Middle English: matere (see there for further descendants)
• → Polish: materia
• → Portuguese: matéria
• → Romanian: materie
• → Russian: мате́рия (matérija), мате́рія (matérija) — pre-1918 spelling
  • → Kazakh: материя (materiä)
• → Spanish: materia
• → Swedish: materia
• → Turkish: öğe (calque)
• → Ukrainian: мате́рія (matérija)

References

• “materia”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “materia”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "materia", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “materia”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[2], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • my subject grows as I write: materia mihi crescit
    
  • abundance of material: materia rerum et copia uberrima
    
  • abundance of material: infinita et immensa materia
    

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin māteria.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈtɛ.rja/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛrja
• Syllabification: ma‧te‧ria

Noun

materia f

1. (physics) matter

Declension

Declension of materia

	singular
nominative	materia
genitive	materii
dative	materii
accusative	materię
instrumental	materią
locative	materii
vocative	materio

Derived terms

noun

• antymateria

Further reading

• materia in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• materia in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Noun

materia f (plural materias)

1. pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of matéria

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin māteria. Doublet of the inherited madera.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈteɾja/ [maˈt̪e.ɾja]
• Rhymes: -eɾja
• Syllabification: ma‧te‧ria

Noun

materia f (plural materias)

1. (physics) matter (the basic structural component of the universe)
2. subject (topic; particular area of study)

   Synonym: sujeto

Derived terms

• antimateria
• en materia de
• entrar en materia
• materia blanca
• materia de Estado
• materia del sacramento
• materia fecal
• materia gris
• materia oscura
• materia prima
• nombre de materia

Related terms

• material

Further reading

• “materia”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin māteria.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Gotland):

  (file)

Noun

materia c (uncountable)

1. matter

Declension

Declension of materia

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	materia	materias
	definite	materian	materians
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Related terms

• antimateria
• material
• materiell

Further reading

• materia in Svensk ordbok.