material

material [mə tir′ē əl]

adj.

[LL materialis < L materia, MATTER]

1. of matter; of substance; relating to or consisting of what occupies space; physical [a material object, material forces]

2.

a) of the body or bodily needs, satisfactions, etc.; corporeal, sensual, or sensuous [material pleasures]

b) of or fond of comfort, pleasure, wealth, etc. rather than spiritual or intellectual values; worldly [material success]

3. important, essential, or pertinent (to the matter under discussion)

4. Law important enough to affect the outcome of a case, the validity of a legal instrument, etc. [a material witness]

5. Philos. of the content or substance of reasoning, as distinguished from the formal element

n.

1. what a thing is, or may be, made of; constituent substance; elements, parts, or constituents [raw material]

2. ideas, notes, sketches, etc., that may be worked up or elaborated; data

3. cloth or other fabric

4. [pl.] implements, articles, etc. needed to make or do something [writing materials]

SYN.- MATERIAL is applied to anything that is formed of matter and has substance [material objects, possessions, etc. ]; PHYSICAL applies either to material things as they are perceivable by the senses or to forces that are scientifically measurable [the physical world, the physical properties of sound ]; CORPOREAL applies only to such material objects as have bodily form and are tangible [corporeal property ]; SENSIBLE is specifically applied to anything that can be known through the senses rather than through the intellect [a sensible phenomenon ] -ANT. SPIRITUAL, MENTAL¹, PSYCHICAL