Middle English Dictionary Entry
mā̆teriāl adj.
Entry Info
Forms | mā̆teriāl adj. Also materiel & (errors) matrial, materal, marterial. |
Etymology | L māteriālis & OF materiel. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Consisting of matter, having material existence; material, physical, substantial; chirche ~, ~ chirche, a church building, place of worship; ~ thinges, material objects; (b) constituting or supplying matter (as opposed to form); representing the material constituent (contrasted with form); cause ~, ~ cause, one of the four causes distinguished by Aristotle: the material or substance from which something is produced [see also cause 1b. (a)]; (c) pertaining to or affecting physical matter, the human body, etc., with regard to the material constituent.
Associated quotations
a
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.576 : Whan man destourbeth concepcioun of a child..or sleeth a child by drynkes, or elles putteth certeyne material thynges in hire secree places to slee the child.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)16a/a : Þey teche vs goostliche þat we schulde putte of material & erþeliche þinges & Araye vs to fonge þinges þat euerlastith.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)114a/b : Of þis simplicite, þe sonne haþ liȝtnesse in substaunce, for þicnesse & boistousnesse of material parties is cause and welle of heuynesse.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)117b/b : Þis lyne þat hatte axis is nouȝt material, but more verrailiche a certein intellectual vndirstondinge.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)129b/b : Now it is to trete of þe neþir and material creaturis, of þe propurtees of elementis.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)259b/a : Þe face þerof [an animal] boweþ toward þe erþe, þat is þe original and material matiere wher of it com.
- ?a1425(a1415) Wycl.Lantern (Hrl 2324)35/35 : What is þe material chirche wiþ hir honourmentis. The secounde chirche..is comyng togiddir of good & yuel in a place þat is halowid.
- ?a1425(a1415) Wycl.Lantern (Hrl 2324)36/10 : Þis is clepid a material place, for it is made bi mannes crafte of lyme, of tymbre, & of stoon.
- ?a1425(a1415) Wycl.Lantern (Hrl 2324)41/28 : Oure chirche material..schal be made..in an honest mesure..þat in þis chirche þer schewe no pride..in stoon, tymber, or leed.
- ?a1425 Orch.Syon (Hrl 3432)127/19 : A vessel may not be voyde; for eiþir it moste be fulfillid wiþ sum material þing or ellis wiþ þe aier.
- (c1426) Audelay Poems (Dc 302)62/9 : Hayle! fayþful fygur in forme of bred, Hayle! matryal mater in þi monhede.
- c1450(1410) Walton Boeth.(Lin-C 103)p.309 : Þe vniuerse of resoun knoweþ he..And also formes of ymagynynge, eke materiall sensible þynge.
- (c1454) Pecock Fol.(Roy 17.D.9)18/9 : Þanne mannys soul ceesiþ not to be naturali, neiþir deieþ bi strengþ of þe material bodi.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)110/26 : Þus they scornyd hym, menynge of material temple, but so menyd not he when he profecied.
- a1550 *Norton OAlch.(BodeMus 63)2439 : Appetite of fyre hathe to worke in erth his chiefe desire, as vpon his chiefe fode materiall.
b
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)70b/b : In þe male beþ vertues formal, & of schapinge & werchinge, and in þe femel material, suffringe, & passiue.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)119b/b : Tweye bodies þat ben blisful, as bodies schal be in þe blisse of heuene, may nouȝt be in oo place and stede, for nouthir of hem may be material in none wyse to þat oþir.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)123a/a : For hete is cause effectif, worchinge, norischinge and encresinge, and þe moisture is cause material.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)308a/a : Þe material cause of white colour is clere and pure, wiþoute medlyng of eorþy drastes.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)46b/a : It is no wonder yf in þe ydropisy of a hote cause in þe same partie of þe lyuer is colde & hete togider, one as fourmed & coniuncte þe toþer as fourmyng & antecedyng..One materiale þe toþer formale.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)118b/a : Þe cause efficient..was nature expellyng. And þe materiale cause, humour grosse, melancolic, or fleumatic.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)101a/b : Of þe whiche enpostumes þe materiel cause is of manye maneres.
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)278/15 : It is turned into quyttre. And so þere is ihad a material cause.
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)420/34 : The cause efficient is kynde hete..Þe material cause is þat drye vapoure. Þe formel cause is þat dewe holynesse of þe skynne.
- 1447 Bokenham Sts.(Arun 327)11 : The fyrst is clepyd cause efficyent, The secunde they clepe cause materyal, Formal the thrydde, the fourte fynal.
- (a1460) Bokenham Sts. (Adv Abbotsford B3)82.251 (v.2:p.94) : Fyre amonge al othir elementis is moste formal and leste material.
- a1550 *Norton OAlch.(BodeMus 63)2965 : The vertue of the mouer of worlde is formall; the vertue of the iii spere is here instrumentall..the vertue of elementes is here materiall.
c
- c1390 I wolde witen (Vrn)93 : Of Material Mortualite Medle we, & of no more Maistrie.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)304a/b : Þanne suche a cleerness haþ þre material dyuersitees, ffor þe matiere is þynne oþer þikke or mene.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)7b/a : Grosse & materiale anathomie..may directe a Cirurgien wirchyng in inscisions & reduccions of membrez.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(3) (Htrn 95)47a/b : And so þer ben seuene tunikels in þe yȝen distincte fourmelliche, and þei ben but þre after materiel continuacioun.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Hrl 7333)66 : Þere beth two maner of medycyns..material and spiritual.
- c1450 Art Number.(Ashm 396)33/19 : 2 manere of nombres ben notifiede; Materialle as nombre is vnitees gadrede to-gedres; Formalle as nombre is a colleccioun of vnitees.
- a1500 12 PTrib.(2) (Rwl C.894)394 : It is to wit þat ther bene v maner of materiall purgyngis: On is purgynge of mannys body for corrumpcion of humouris wicked..The secund..ys of metal..The thrid..is of trees.
2.
(a) Of things as they exist in the material world (usually contrasted with spiritual, mental, or supernatural analogues): real, ordinary; earthly, drawn from the material world; light ~, ~ fir, fir ~, ~ oinement, ~ sonne, ~ world; ~ bred, bred ~, ordinary bread, the substance of bread (contrasted with spiritual food, and with the sacramental bread after transubstantiation); (b) fig. ~ sword, secular power or authority.
Associated quotations
a
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.182 : Iob clepeth helle the lond of derknesse..dirk, for he that is in helle hath defaute of light material, for..the derke light that shal come out of the fyr that euere shal brenne shal turne hym al to peyne.
- (1402) Topias (Dgb 41)p.107 : We seie with holy chirche that ther is Cristis bodi, and not material breed with Wiclyf ȝour maistir.
- (a1438) MKempe A (Add 61823)88/32 : Sche felt þe hete brennyng in hir brest..as verily as a man schuld felyn þe material fyer, ȝyf he put hys hand or hys fynger þerin.
- (a1438) MKempe A (Add 61823)115/17 : Ȝyf he sey dewly þo wordys ouyr þe bred þat owr Lord Ihesu Criste seyde..at þe soper, I be-leue þat it is hys very flesch & hys blood & no material bred.
- a1450(c1400) Wor.Serm.(Wor F.10)23/38 : A man þat es in a dyrk presune may not see þe brynnyng bemes þat stretchþ out þe material sunne þe chynyþ to þis world.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)291 : He was in no þing abassht..To seye it was but brede material.
- c1450(?c1425) St.Mary Oign.(Dc 114)147/24 : She..dredde no colde, nor she nedid no materyal fyre to chare awey chele in wynter.
- ?c1450 St.Cuth.(Eg 3309)1927 : Agayne slyke fyre materiele, Slyke meruailes do we may no dele.
- ?a1475 Ludus C.(Vsp D.8)196/96,101 : Bred materyal doth norch blood but to mannys sowle..nevyr more may be a betyr food þan þe wurd of god..Thi body doth loue materal brede.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)7.149 : He was tormentede by devells with brennynge flammes..in respecte of the heete of whom this fyre materialle [Trev.: oure fire; L flammæ noster] is but as warme..water unto scaldynge water.
- a1500(c1340) Rolle Psalter (UC 64)49.4 : Fire materiel, or of ill consciens, sall bren..that fire sall bren the face of this warld, and purge it and make it bright.
- a1500(1382) Knighton Chron.Contin.(Cld E.3)172 : Materiale brede leves in þe Sacrament aftur þe consecration.
- a1500(1413) *Pilgr.Soul (Eg 615)5.2.90b : 'Mundus' is material worlde, but 'seculum' is take for the induryng world.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)103/3,4 : Then Crist wold not be a-noynted with materiall oynement, ne this materiall oynement comeþ noȝt where schall be spiritual oynement.
- a1500 *Chartier Treat.Hope (Rwl A.338)158/26 : I geve the materiall exaumple: owthir the mydde parte of a compas or..the axtre of a whele.
b
- (1395) Wycl.37 Concl.(Tit D.1)1 : Preestis and clerkis shulden not fighte bi material swerd [L non seculariter bellabunt], neither pleete neithir stryue agens temporal lordis.
- ?a1425(a1415) Wycl.Lantern (Hrl 2324)33/21 : Summe..taken þe material swerid & ben made mynystris of Cristis godhed..it partyeneþ to þe ordir of knyȝthod to defende Goddis lawe.
- ?c1450(?a1400) Wycl.Clergy HP (Lamb 551)370 : Confermynge to þe seculer party of the chirche þe material swerde wiþ his purtenance in þe persone of cesar.
- ?c1450(?a1400) Wycl.Clergy HP (Lamb 551)376 : Whan he was souȝte to be a kynge & to haue taake up-on hym þe material swerde wiþ his purtenances, he fled..and left þis swerde hooly in his place.
3.
Important, relevant.
Associated quotations
- c1475 Þe tyme approcheþe (Hrl 2251)p.308 : The tyme approched of necessite To reherse the marterial sentence, Which afore althynges iust equite..To drede god by mannes providence.
- ?a1525(?a1475) Play Sacr.(Dub 652)890 : As ye be materyall to owr degre, we put vs in yowr moderat ordynaunce, Yff yt lyke yowr hyghnes to here owr grevaunce.