Materialness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The attribute of having a physical and tangible essence is what distinguishes something from being abstract or intangible
2. The characteristic of possessing a real, physical form that can be perceived through the senses
3. The state of existing with a concrete and substantial presence rather than being merely conceptual

Etymology: "Materialness" is a plain English construction: the adjective "material" with the suffix "-ness", which turns an adjective into a noun meaning "the state or quality of being" that adjective. "Material" itself comes through Old French "material" from Late Latin "materialis", a derivative of Latin "materia", meaning matter, substance or timber, the same root that gave English "matter" and "matrix." The suffix does the work here. Adding "-ness" to an adjective such as "green" gives "greenness," and "materialness" follows the same pattern, so its meaning can be read straight from its parts: the quality of being material, of having physical substance rather than existing only as an idea. Because the parts are so transparent, the word needs little explanation beyond that.

Synonyms: materiality, physicality, tangibility, substantiality, corporeality

Antonyms: immateriality, intangibility, insubstantiality, spirituality, abstractness