Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
Synonym of matter, physical substance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: matter, physical substance
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Synonym of protomatter, the first matter of the cosmos from which the four elements arose according to Empedocles and Aristotle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: protomatter
Antonyms: none provided
History
From Medieval Latin hyle, from Ancient Greek ὕλη (húlē, “wood, matter”), particularly in Aristotle as πρώτη ὕλη (prṓtē húlē, “protomatter, fundamental undifferentiated matter”).
