matter

A2 Topic:Numbers & Quantity

US /ˈmæt.ɚ/ UK /ˈmæt.ə/ See IPA manual

Freq #309

Meanings

1

noun
A situation, subject, or affair that is being dealt with or considered.

This is a serious matter that we need to discuss.
2

noun
A problem or difficulty (often in 'what's the matter?').

Is anything the matter?
3

noun
The physical substance that everything is made of and that occupies space.

Physicists study the nature of matter and energy.
4

noun
An approximate amount or extent of time.

I stayed for a matter of months.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a situation, subject, or... affair issue

2 noun · a problem or difficulty... problem

More hylematerial stuff substance

Word family

Forms matteredmatteringmatters

Derived forms anti-matterback-matterbiomatterbymatterfront-mattermagmattermatter-of-factmatter-of-factishmatter-of-factlymatter-of-factnessmatterativematterful

Etymology

From Middle English matere, mater, from Anglo-Norman matere, materie, from Old French materie, matiere, from Latin māteria (“wood”), from māter (“mother”), in which case cognate with Old Armenian մայր (mayr, “cedar”) and մայրի (mayri, “forest”). Doublet of Madeira, mata, mater, matrix, and mother. Displaced Middle English andweorc, andwork (“material, matter”), from Old English andweorc (“matter, substance, material”), Old English intinga (“matter, affair, business”).

matere Middle English materie Old French māteria Latin

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# matter

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈmæt.ɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈmæt.ə/
**Frequency rank:** 309

## Meanings
1. A situation, subject, or affair that is being dealt with or considered.
2. A problem or difficulty (often in 'what's the matter?').
3. The physical substance that everything is made of and that occupies space.
4. An approximate amount or extent of time.

## Examples
- This is a serious matter that we need to discuss.
- Is anything the matter?
- Physicists study the nature of matter and energy.
- I stayed for a matter of months.

## Synonyms
- hyle
- material
- stuff
- substance

## Derived Forms
- anti-matter
- back-matter
- biomatter
- bymatter
- front-matter
- magmatter
- matter-of-fact
- matter-of-factish
- matter-of-factly
- matter-of-factness
- matterative
- matterful

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: matere
- Root: materie
- Root: māteria

## Etymology
From Middle English matere, mater, from Anglo-Norman matere, materie, from Old French materie, matiere, from Latin māteria (“wood”), from māter (“mother”), in which case cognate with Old Armenian մայր (mayr, “cedar”) and մայրի (mayri, “forest”). Doublet of Madeira, mata, mater, matrix, and mother. Displaced Middle English andweorc, andwork (“material, matter”), from Old English andweorc (“matter, substance, material”), Old English intinga (“matter, affair, business”).

## AI Etymology
Matter comes from Middle English matere, mater, from Anglo-Norman matere, materie, from Old French materie, matiere, from Latin māteria (“wood”), from māter (“mother”), in which case cognate with Old Armenian մայր (mayr, “cedar”) and մայրի (mayri, “forest”). Doublet of Madeira, mata, mater, matrix, and mother. Displaced Middle English andweorc, andwork (“material, matter”), from Old English andweorc (“matter, substance, material”), Old English intinga (“matter, affair, business”). In present-day English its meanings include a situation, subject, or affair that is being dealt with or considered, a problem or difficulty (often in 'what's the matter?'), and the physical substance that everything is made of and that occupies space. The historical chain runs through matere (Middle English), materie (Anglo-Norman), materie (Old French), and māteria (Latin).

## Topics
- Numbers & Quantity

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