Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun obsolete, philosophy matter
  • noun The first matter of the cosmos, from which the four elements arose, according to the doctrines of Empedocles and Aristotle.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

One of several English variants (in casu Modern English, in the 17th and 18th century) for the Medieval Latin hyle, a transliteration of Aristotle’s concept of matter, in Ancient Greek ὕλη (hulē, "wood(s), material(s), matter, subject") or πρώτη ὕλη (prote hule, "fundamental, undifferentiated matter")

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word hyle.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyle

    "In philosophy, hyle (�?λη) (pronounced /ˈhaɪli/) refers to matter or stuff. It can also be the material cause underlying a change in Aristotelian philosophy. The Greeks originally had no word for matter in general, as opposed to raw material suitable for some specific purpose or other, so Aristotle adapted the word for "lumber" for this purpose. The idea that everything physical is made of the same basic substance holds up well under modern science, although it may be thought of more in terms of energy or matter/energy.1"

    July 2, 2009