materialism
Meaning
the belief that only physical matter exists, and that the mind, emotions, etc., are not separate spiritual entities but are produced by the activity of the brain.
the belief that money, possessions, and physical comforts are more important than spiritual values.
Structure
Usage
his philosophical writings are a rigorous defense of scientific materialism.
critics often accuse modern society of rampant consumerism and materialism.
the novel explores the spiritual emptiness that can accompany a life of pure materialism.
Etymology
the term 'materialism' is built upon the latin root 'materia', which originally referred to the hard inner wood of a tree or trunk, a foundational substance from which things are constructed. this concrete sense evolved in medieval latin to denote the constituent matter of the physical world, in contrast to form or spirit. the suffix '-ism', of greek origin via latin, systematically converts this base into the name of a philosophical doctrine. thus, 'materialism' logically denotes the doctrine that prioritizes or believes exclusively in physical matter as the fundamental reality, a meaning which extended metaphorically to describe a preoccupation with material possessions and comforts.
Analysis
material: from latin 'materia' (matter, substance, timber), functioning as the base noun denoting physical stuff. ism: from greek '-ismos', a suffix forming nouns of action, state, or doctrine, functioning here to denote a system of belief.