As a noun, material is the substance that something is made of, like cloth, wood, or metal. As an adjective, it describes things that are physical and can be touched, or information that is important and relevant.
From Late Latin “materialis” meaning 'of matter', from Latin “materia” meaning 'stuff, substance, timber'. “Materia” is related to a word for 'wood' or 'timber', showing how basic building stuff became the general idea of 'matter'. Over time, it expanded from wood to any kind of physical substance.
Material originally had a strong connection to wood and building—think 'raw timber'—before it meant any kind of stuff. When people talk about 'material things' vs. 'spiritual things', they’re really talking about what’s made of matter versus what isn’t.
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