matter

noun (matter, matters); verb (matter, matters, mattered, mattering)

«matter» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition and Early Modern English — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

Everyday

Matter is what everything is made of; all things that take up space and have mass are matter. tree →
A matter is a subject or problem to deal with: a serious matter. tree →
To matter is to be important: your feelings matter. tree →
«What's the matter?» asks what is wrong. tree →

In the lessons

In maths problems it is a word of the story or of the explanation only; «the order does not matter» means it is adding or multiplying (you can swap the numbers). In science matter comes in solids, liquids and gases. In everyday life: «It doesn't matter» (it is not important), «no matter what», «as a matter of fact».

Examples

It does not matter which order you add. tree →
No matter how you count, there are 12. tree →
What is the matter with the sum? tree →
What's the matter? You look sad. tree →
Everything around us is made of matter. tree →
Solids, liquids and gases are states of matter. tree →
It doesn't matter if you lose, just have fun. tree →
Every vote matters. tree →
As a matter of fact, I've already finished. tree →
“O Peter, you know it matters.” tree →

Note

Science sense is uncountable (matter); the «subject» sense is countable (matters). Regular verb: mattered. «No matter» = whatever, however. Maths: no clue about the quantities. In explanations «the order does not matter» means it is adding or multiplying, not subtracting or dividing.

In Jewish tradition

In the Torah "matter" often means a thing, an issue, or a legal case, and also "word" in some places. Hard cases were brought to Moses, and small ones were judged by others.

Interpretation. The rabbis took this to show that Israel needed a system of judges at different levels. Moses took the hard cases to God.

Examples

And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. (Torah GEN.24.9, JPS 1917) tree →
And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. (Torah EXO.18.26, JPS 1917) tree →
Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not; for I will not justify the wicked. (Torah EXO.23.7, JPS 1917) tree →
Were thy harlotries a small matter, (Prophets EZK.16.20, JPS 1917) tree →
Here is the end of the matter. (Writings DAN.7.28, JPS 1917) tree →
And David said unto him: 'How went the matter? (Prophets 2SA.1.4, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Early Modern English

Meaning

An affair or subject of concern, or a thing being discussed. tree →

Then and now

Today "matter" usually means a problem or substance, as in "there's something the matter". In the first sentence it means an affair or business, which is an old sense.

Examples

And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. (Torah GEN.24.9, JPS 1917) tree →
There's nothing the matter with me. (Andersen's Fairy Tales) tree →
A cipher for the matter: twenty-two (numbers) [objects] in one body. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →

Note

Today: affair, thing; subject.

On Mova

Trees and pragmatics of «matter» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«matter» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
Trees and pragmatics of «matter» in the Judaism dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«matter» in the Judaism dictionary on Mova free.
Trees and pragmatics of «matter» in the Early Modern English dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«matter» in the Early Modern English dictionary on Mova free.

This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/matter/