Matter Means Both Substance and Importance
Matter is physical substance, and also a subject of concern. The Latin root is the wood a thing is made from.
Matter is physical substance, and also a subject or a question of importance. The Latin *materia* meant timber or building material, from *mater*, mother — the source-stuff from which things grow. The verb sense, meaning to be important, developed in English from the idea of something being of substance.
- Physical substance. *Dark matter.*
- A subject or affair. *A private matter.*
- To be important. *It does not matter.*
- Pus (medical). *Discharging matter.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | matter | Organic matter. |
| Plural | matters | Financial matters. |
| Verb | matter | It matters greatly. |
| Related | material | Raw material. |
| Related | mother | From *mater*. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Dark matter cannot be seen directly.Astronomy.
- It is a matter of principle.A question or issue.
- What is the matter?What is wrong.
States of matter
- Solid — fixed shape and volume
- Liquid — fixed volume, taking the container's shape
- Gas — neither fixed shape nor volume
- Plasma — ionised gas, the most common state in the universe
- Exotic states — including Bose-Einstein condensates at near absolute zero
From Old French *matere*, from Latin *materia*, timber or substance, from *mater*, mother — the source from which things are made.
Are matter and material related?
Yes. Both come from Latin *materia*, meaning the substance something is made from.
What is dark matter?
Matter that does not emit or absorb light but whose gravitational effects are observed. It appears to make up most of the universe's mass.