5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Material  \Ma*te"ri*al\,  n. 
  The  substance  or  matter  of  which  anything  is  made  or  may  be 
  made 
 
  {Raw  material},  any  crude,  unfinished,  or  elementary 
  materials  that  are  adapted  to  use  only  by  processes  of 
  skilled  labor.  Cotton,  wool,  ore,  logs,  etc.,  are  raw 
  material. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Material  \Ma*te"ri*al\,  v.  t. 
  To  form  from  matter;  to  materialize.  [Obs.]  --Sir  T.  Browne. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Material  \Ma*te"ri*al\,  a.  [L.  materialis,  fr  materia  stuff, 
  matter:  cf  F.  mat['e]riel.  See  {Matter},  and  cf 
  {Mat['E]riel}.] 
  1.  Consisting  of  matter;  not  spiritual;  corporeal;  physical; 
  as  material  substance  or  bodies. 
 
  The  material  elements  of  the  universe.  --Whewell. 
 
  2.  Hence:  Pertaining  to  or  affecting,  the  physical  nature  of 
  man,  as  distinguished  from  the  mental  or  moral  nature; 
  relating  to  the  bodily  wants  interests,  and  comforts. 
 
  3.  Of  solid  or  weighty  character;  not  insubstantial;  of 
  cinsequence;  not  be  dispensed  with  important. 
 
  Discourse,  which  was  always  material,  never 
  trifling.  --Evelyn. 
 
  I  shall,  in  the  account  of  simple  ideas,  set  down 
  only  such  as  are  most  material  to  our  present 
  purpose.  --Locke. 
 
  4.  (Logic.)  Pertaining  to  the  matter,  as  opposed  to  the  form 
  of  a  thing  See  {Matter}. 
 
  {Material  cause}.  See  under  {Cause}. 
 
  {Material  evidence}  (Law),  evidence  which  conduces  to  the 
  proof  or  disproof  of  a  relevant  hypothesis.  --Wharton. 
 
  Syn:  Corporeal;  bodily;  important;  weighty;  momentous; 
  essential. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  material 
  adj  1:  concerned  with  worldly  rather  than  spiritual  interests; 
  "material  possessions";  "material  wealth";  "material 
  comforts" 
  2:  derived  from  or  composed  of  matter;  "the  material  universe" 
  [ant:  {immaterial}] 
  3:  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" 
  [ant:  {immaterial}] 
  4:  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 
  5:  having  material  or  physical  form  or  substance;  "that  which 
  is  created  is  of  necessity  corporeal  and  visible  and 
  tangible"  -  Benjamin  Jowett  [syn:  {corporeal}]  [ant:  {incorporeal}] 
  6:  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  [syn:  {substantial},  {real}] 
  [ant:  {insubstantial}] 
  n  1:  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"  [syn:  {stuff}] 
  2:  information  (data  or  ideas  or  observations)  that  can  be 
  reworked  into  a  finished  form  "the  archives  provided  rich 
  material  for  a  definitive  biography" 
  3:  something  made  by  weaving  or  felting  or  knitting  or 
  crocheting  natural  or  synthetic  fibers  [syn:  {fabric},  {cloth}, 
  {textile}] 
  4:  equipment  needed  for  doing  or  making  something  "writing 
  materials"  or  "birth-control  material" 
  5:  a  person  judged  suitable  for  admission  or  employment;  "he 
  was  university  material";  "she  was  vice-presidential 
  material" 
  6:  written  material  (especially  in  books  or  magazines);  "he 
  always  took  some  reading  matter  with  him  on  the  plane" 
  [syn:  {matter}] 
 
  From  THE  DEVIL'S  DICTIONARY  ((C)1911  Released  April  15  1993)  [devils]: 
 
  MATERIAL,  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 
 
 

browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
or search   thesauri dictionary search words