matter

noun

Matter — whatever has mass enough to occupy space in the world

Definition

That which has mass and occupies space; "physicists study both the nature of matter and the forces which govern it"

In depth

Matter is the physical substance that makes up the observable universe, anything possessing mass and occupying space, from the smallest particle to the largest star. Beyond physics, the word has long done double duty as a name for whatever is significant or at stake, so that to say something 'matters' is to claim it has weight in both the literal and figurative sense.

Origin

The word comes from Latin materia, originally meaning timber or building material, later broadened by philosophers to mean the basic stuff from which all physical things are formed. That practical, carpenter's origin — matter as literal lumber — sits curiously beneath the word's later cosmic and philosophical grandeur.

Usage examples

"Physicists continue to debate the precise nature of dark matter, which seems to exert gravity while emitting no light at all."

"It hardly seemed to matter, in the end, who had started the argument."

"The sculptor spoke of wrestling form out of unwilling matter, as though the marble itself resisted becoming anything at all."

How to use it

Matter is foundational vocabulary in physics and philosophy, but its figurative life — as significance, importance, or the subject under discussion — is equally indispensable, and writers regularly exploit the overlap between the two senses for quiet wordplay.