matter

Definitions

matter is Latin materia ('mother-stuff,' substance) worn smooth through French — the same word as material, arriving in a more everyday shape. It kept the physical sense (the matter that makes up the universe), then drifted: a noun for 'a thing to be dealt with' (a serious matter), and a verb 'to have substance, to be important' (it doesn't matter). The verb is the substance metaphor turned abstract — to matter is to carry weight in a situation.

Why It Means This

The leap from 'physical substance' to 'it doesn't matter' surprises learners, but the bridge is weight. Materia was the stuff things are made of — something with mass, something solid and real. From there English asked: does this thing have substance? Does it carry weight in the situation? Something weighty matters; something weightless does not. So the verb 'matter' is just 'to have material substance' made figurative.

Common Collocations

• 1.as a matter of fact事实上
• 2.no matter what无论如何
• 3.a matter of time时间问题
• 4.the heart of the matter事情的核心
• 5.what's the matter怎么了

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Everything around us is made of matter in some form.

• 2.

  We need to discuss this matter before the meeting ends.

• 3.

  You look upset — what's the matter?

• 4.

  Your opinion matters to me more than anyone else's.

• 5.

  It doesn't matter whether we win or lose, just have fun.