immaterial
Meaning
Not consisting of physical matter; without physical form or substance.
Unimportant or irrelevant under the circumstances.
Structure
Usage
Ghosts are often thought of as immaterial beings.
The judge ruled that the witness's personal opinion was immaterial to the facts of the case.
For a spiritual person, worldly possessions can seem immaterial.
Etymology
The word 'immaterial' is a direct negation formed in Late Middle English from the Latin prefix 'in-' (meaning "not") assimilated to 'im-' before 'm', combined with the adjective 'material'. 'Material' itself stems from Latin materia, originally referring to the hard inner wood of a tree or building matter, which broadened to mean physical substance in general. Thus, the literal construction "not material" perfectly captures its core meaning of lacking physical form. The secondary sense of "unimportant" developed through philosophical and legal reasoning, where arguments or facts not pertaining to the physical matter of the case were deemed irrelevant.
Analysis
im: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "not" or "without". material: From Latin materia (matter, substance, timber), via Old French materiel. In this word, it functions as the base noun meaning physical substance.