mass noun
1
- the matter from which a thing is or can be made材料, 原料：
goats can eat more or less any plant material
山羊几乎能食用任何植物食料
count noun materials such as brass像黄铜这样的材料
highly flammable materials.
极易燃烧的材料。
1.1
- （一般作materials）things needed for an activity用具, 用品：
cleaning materials.
清洁用品。
1.2
- with adj. or noun modifier a person of a specified quality or suitability（有指明特征的）人才：
he's not really Olympic material.
他并不是参加奥运会的料。
2
- facts, information, or ideas for use in creating a book or other work素材, 资料：
his colonial experiences gave him material.
他在殖民地的经历给他提供了素材。
2.1
- items, especially songs or jokes, comprising a performer's act项目, 曲目：
a watchable band playing original material.
一个值得注意的乐队演奏原版曲目。
3
- cloth or fabric布料; 织物：
a piece of dark material
一块黑色布料
count noun dress materials.衣料。
1
- attrib. denoting or consisting of physical objects rather than the mind or spirit物质的：
the material world
物质世界
moral and material support.
精神和物质的支持。
1.1
- concerned with physical needs or desires身体需要的; 肉体的：
material living standards have risen.
物质生活水平已经提高。
1.2
- concerned with the matter of reasoning, not its form和推理内容有关的：
political conflict lacks mathematical or material certitude.
政治斗争缺乏数学或推理内容方面的确定性。
2
- important; essential; relevant重要的; 本质的; 有关的：
the insects did not do any material damage to the crop.
昆虫并没有对作物造成实质性破坏。
2.1
- chiefly Law (of evidence or a fact) significant, influential or relevant, especially to the extent of determining a cause or affecting a judgement【主律】（证据或事实）决定性的, 有决定性影响的：
information that could be material to a murder inquiry.
对谋杀案调查可能是至关重要的信息。
词源
late Middle English （in the sense 'relating to matter'）： from late Latin materialis, adjective from Latin materia 'matter'.