Origin: Latin suffix -al
Material has 14 different meanings across 2 categories:
information (data or ideas or observations) that can be used or reworked into a finished form
"the archives provided rich material for a definitive biography"
things needed for doing or making something
"writing materials"
"useful teaching materials"
a person judged suitable for admission or employment
"he was university material"
"she was vice-presidential material"
Matter which may be shaped or manipulated, particularly in making something.
"The sculptor carefully selected a block of marble as her material to carve into a statue."
In plain English: A material is any physical substance that you can touch and use to make things.
"The material for the new sweater is made from soft wool."
Usage: Use "material" to refer to raw substances like wood, fabric, or metal that serve as the physical components for creating an object. Do not use it to describe abstract concepts or information unless specifically discussing tangible evidence in a legal context.
To form from matter; to materialize.
"As I watched, the faint shape in the fog seemed to materialize into a solid figure standing right before me."
In plain English: To materialize means to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
"The company plans to materialize its new product line by next year."
Usage: Use the verb materialize when something appears suddenly or comes into existence out of nothing, rather than using material itself as an action. Simply put, things do not material; they materialize.
concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests
"material possessions"
"material wealth"
"material comforts"
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"
concerned with or affecting physical as distinct from intellectual or psychological well-being
"material needs"
"the moral and material welfare of all good citizens"
having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary
"the substantial world"
"a mere dream, neither substantial nor practical"
"The wind was violent and felt substantial enough to lean against"
Having to do with matter; consisting of matter.
"The physicist explained that while energy can be converted into mass, all physical objects are ultimately made of material that occupies space."
In plain English: Something that is material is real and important enough to actually matter in your life.
"The material quality of the shirt is excellent."
Usage: Use "material" as an adjective when describing something made of physical substances like wood or metal, rather than abstract concepts. Avoid using it to describe non-physical qualities such as facts or evidence, which should instead be referred to as "substantial" or simply "relevant."
The word "material" comes from the Latin materia, which originally meant wood or physical substance before traveling into Middle English to replace an older native term for matter. Its root traces back even further to the Latin word for mother, creating a connection between the source of life and the building blocks of the world.