Etymology of the English word matter
the English word
matterderived from the Old French word
materederived from the Latin word
materia (material, matter, substance; means, occasion, condition effecting action; wood, lumber, timber)
derived from the Late Latin word
mater (mother; mother, foster mother; lady)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*māter- (mother)
Date
The earliest known usage of matter in English dates from the 13th century.
Derivations in English
antimatter,
overmatter,
mattered,
matteringCognates
Dutch
materie, French
matière, German
Materie, Italian
materia, Latin
materia, Lithuanian
materija, Norwegian
materie, Polish
materia, Provençal
materia, Russian
мaтepия, Swedish
materiaUsage
Word found in Modern English
