materials

ma·te·ri·al  (m-tîr-l)

n.

1. The substance or substances out of which a thing is or can be made.

2. Something, such as an idea or information, that is to be refined and made or incorporated into a finished effort: material for a comedy.

3. materials Tools or apparatus for the performance of a given task: writing materials.

4. Yard goods or cloth.

5. A person who is qualified or suited for a position or activity: The members of the board felt that she was vice-presidential material.

adj.

1. Of, relating to, or composed of matter.

2. Of, relating to, or affecting physical well-being; bodily: "the moral and material welfare of all good citizens" (Theodore Roosevelt).

3. Of or concerned with the physical as distinct from the intellectual or spiritual: "Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

4. Being both relevant and consequential; crucial: testimony material to the inquiry. See Synonyms at relevant.

5. Philosophy Of or relating to the matter of reasoning, rather than the form.

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[Middle English, consisting of matter, material, from Old French, from Late Latin mterilis, from Latin mteria, matter; see mter- in Indo-European roots.]

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ma·teri·al·ness n.

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materials [məˈtɪərɪəlz]

pl n

the equipment necessary for a particular activity

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materials

• taboret - An artist's multi-drawer cabinet table for tools and materials.
• compendium - Latin for "that which is weighed together," it is a complete summary or abridgment or a concise collection of materials—not an all-encompassing or comprehensive work (plural is compendiums or compendia).
• hygroscopic - Describing the ability or tendency of a material to take up moisture readily from the surrounding air or other moist materials.
• molecular gastronomy - The study and application of chemistry, physics, and other scientific principles on cooking processes, preparation, and materials.