Mater vs. Matter — What's the Difference?

Used in British English as a colloquial or affectionate term for one's mother.

Anything that occupies space and has mass.

A term used for a school or university, typically one's own.

A situation or set of conditions.

A formal or affectionate term for mother.

Printed material, as opposed to illustrations or blank space.

In religious contexts, it can refer to the Virgin Mary or mother church.

In classical physics and general chemistry, matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume. All everyday objects that can be touched are ultimately composed of atoms, which are made up of interacting subatomic particles, and in everyday as well as scientific usage, "matter" generally includes atoms and anything made up of them, and any particles (or combination of particles) that act as if they have both rest mass and volume.

In historical or genealogical contexts, a reference to a female ancestor.

Physical substance in general, as distinct from mind and spirit; (in physics) that which occupies space and possesses rest mass, especially as distinct from energy

Mother

A subject or situation under consideration

Mother.

The reason for distress or a problem

Mother.

The substance or content of a text as distinct from its style or form.

(anatomy) A meninx; the dura mater, arachnoid mater, or pia mater of the brain.

Be important or significant

(biology) Someone or something that mates.

(of a wound) secrete or discharge pus.

See Alma mater, Dura mater, and Pia mater.

That which occupies space and has mass; physical substance.

Informal terms for a mother

A type of such substance

Discharge or waste, such as pus or feces, from a living organism.

(Philosophy) In Aristotelian and Scholastic use, that which is in itself undifferentiated and formless and which, as the subject of change and development, receives form and becomes substance.

The substance of thought or expression as opposed to the manner in which it is stated or conveyed.

A subject of concern, feeling, or action

Trouble or difficulty

An approximated quantity, amount, or extent

Something printed or otherwise set down in writing

To be of importance

(uncountable) Material; substance.

(physics) The basic structural component of the universe, usually having mass and volume.

(physics) Matter made up of normal particles, not antiparticles.

A kind of substance.

Material, especially in books or magazines.

(philosophy) Aristotelian: undeveloped potentiality subject to change and development; formlessness. Matter receives form, and becomes substance.

An affair, condition, or subject, especially one of concern or (especially when preceded by the) one that is problematic.

An approximate amount or extent.

(obsolete) essence; pith; embodiment.

(obsolete) (The) inducing cause or reason, especially of anything disagreeable or distressing.

To be important.

To care about, to mind; to find important.

To form pus or matter, as an abscess; to maturate.

That of which anything is composed; constituent substance; material; the material or substantial part of anything; the constituent elements of conception; that into which a notion may be analyzed; the essence; the pith; the embodiment.

That of which the sensible universe and all existent bodies are composed; anything which has extension, occupies space, or is perceptible by the senses; body; substance.

That with regard to, or about which, anything takes place or is done; the thing aimed at, treated of, or treated; subject of action, discussion, consideration, feeling, complaint, legal action, or the like; theme.

That which one has to treat, or with which one has to do; concern; affair; business.

Affair worthy of account; thing of consequence; importance; significance; moment; - chiefly in the phrases what matter? no matter, and the like.

Inducing cause or occasion, especially of anything disagreeable or distressing; difficulty; trouble.

Amount; quantity; portion; space; - often indefinite.

Substance excreted from living animal bodies; that which is thrown out or discharged in a tumor, boil, or abscess; pus; purulent substance.

That which is permanent, or is supposed to be given, and in or upon which changes are effected by psychological or physical processes and relations; - opposed to form.

Written manuscript, or anything to be set in type; copy; also, type set up and ready to be used, or which has been used, in printing.

To be of importance; to import; to signify.

To form pus or matter, as an abscess; to maturate.

To regard as important; to take account of; to care for.

That which has mass and occupies space;

A vaguely specified concern;

Some situation or event that is thought about;

A problem;

(used with negation) having consequence;

Written works (especially in books or magazines);

Have weight; have import, carry weight;

A subject or topic of discourse or of artistic representation.

An affair or situation under consideration; a problem.

Mater is a Latin term meaning "mother" and is also used for schools or universities.

"Alma mater" refers to a person's former school or university, literally "nurturing mother."

Mater is not commonly used in modern English; it has a formal or archaic tone.

Yes, matter can refer to a subject or problem, as in "a matter of concern."

The plural form of mater is "matres" in Latin, but "maters" can be used informally.

In British English, mater can be a colloquial term for one's mother.

In science, matter is anything that has mass and occupies space.

Mater is not typically used in legal terms; matter is, as in "subject matter."

Mater is pronounced "may-ter" or "mah-ter," depending on the context.

Types of matter include solids, liquids, gases, and plasma.

Yes, as a verb, matter means to be of importance, as in "Your opinion matters."

No common idioms use mater, while matter is found in phrases like "as a matter of fact."

Yes, in non-physical contexts, matter can be intangible, such as a topic of discussion.

A common use is to indicate importance, as in "It doesn't matter."

Mater is not used in biology; matter is used to refer to organic or inorganic material.