matter n
1. that which has mass and occupies space; "an atom is the smallest indivisible unit of matter" [syn: substance]
2. a vaguely specified concern; "several matters to attend to"; "it is none of your affair"; "things are going well" [syn: affair, thing]
3. some situation or event that is thought about; "he kept drifting off the topic"; "he had been thinking about the subject for several years"; "it is a matter for the police" [syn: topic, subject, issue]
4. a problem; "is anything the matter?"
5. (used with negation) having consequence; "they were friends and it was no matter who won the games"
6. written works (especially in books or magazines); "he always took some reading matter with him on the plane" v : have weight; have import, carry weight; "It does not matter much" [syn: count, weigh]

Matter \Mat"ter\, n. [OE. matere, F. mati[`e]re, fr. L. materia; perh. akin to L. mater mother. Cf. Mother, Madeira, Material.]
1. 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. He is the matter of virtue. --B. Jonson.
2. 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. Note: Matter is usually divided by philosophical writers into three kinds or classes: solid, liquid, and a["e]riform. Solid substances are those whose parts firmly cohere and resist impression, as wood or stone. Liquids have free motion among their parts, and easily yield to impression, as water and wine. A["e]riform substances are elastic fluids, called vapors and gases, as air and oxygen gas.
3. 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,

Matter is a general term for the substance of which all physical objects consist. In practice however there is no single correct scientific meaning of "matter," as different fields use the term in different and sometimes incompatible ways.

For much of the history of the natural sciences people have contemplated the exact nature of matter. The idea that matter was built of discrete building blocks, the so-called particulate theory of matter, was first put forward by the Greek philosophers Leucippus (~490 BC) and Democritus (~470–380 BC).

Matter is commonly said to exist in four states (or phases): solid, liquid, gas and plasma. However, advances in experimental techniques have realized other phases, previously only theoretical constructs, such as Bose–Einstein condensates and fermionic condensates. A focus on an elementary-particle view of matter also leads to new phases of matter, such as the quark–gluon plasma.

• Enforcement Notice - IN THE MATTER OF Shelley Blanchard - Discipline decision - Liability and Penalty
  Enforcement Notice - IN THE MATTER OF Shelley Blanchard - Discipline decision - Liability and Penalty Read more on this news related to 'Matter'
• Assad: Syria transition talks are internal matter
  BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad said in a newspaper interview Saturday he won't step down before elections and that the United States has no right to interfere in his country's politics, raising new doubts about a U.S-Russian effort to get Assad and his opponents to negotiate an end to the country's civil war. Read more on this news related to 'Matter'
• Results Matter Radio Spotlights Sustainability in Georgia and the Southeast on Business RadioX
  Results Matter Radio Host Elizabeth Gordon talks with leaders from Southeast Green and EarthShare of Georgia about their organizations and about sustainability in Georgia and the Southeast. (PRWeb May 18, 2013) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/BusinessRadioX/ResultsMatter/prweb10748100.htm Read more on this news related to 'Matter'