Material or Materiel?

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Material or Materiel?

What is the difference between "material" and "materiel"?
  • "Material" is the matter from which a thing is made.
    • His trousers were made of a shiny material.
  • "Materiel" is the equipment or supplies in military or commercial supply-chain management.
    • The ship bringing more men and materiel is stranded at sea.
material or materiel?
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Materiel or Material?

It is not uncommon to see the word "material" where "materiel" should have been used. It is also not uncommon for people to think the word "materiel" is a spelling mistake of "material."

A Video Summary

Here is a 2-minute video summarizing the difference between "material" and "materiel."

Materiel

The word "materiel" means the equipment and supplies in military or commercial supply-chain management. So, a forklift truck (which is equipment used in the supply chain) and a can of petrol (which is one of the supplies) would both be classified as materiel. In other words, materiel is the things a military force or a business needs to do its job.

Examples:
  • I need more men and materiel if I am to defeat the enemy.
  • The Minister for Defence and the Minister for Defence Materiel announced that the Government will buy a fleet of new vehicles.
  • The fire in our distribution centre has damaged so much materiel, we will be unable to trade for at least six months.

Material

Material means matter, fabric, substance, or cloth. It is the matter from which a thing is made. As an adjective, "material" denotes that something is physical. (You might have material needs as opposed to physical needs or emotional needs, e.g., "I have material needs. I need a car not a hug.")

Examples:
  • Her tablecloths were made of fine material such as silk or linen.
  • Television is now so desperately hungry for material that they're scraping the top of the barrel. (Author Gore Vidal)
    • (In the two examples above, "material" is a noun.)
  • We are living in a material world, and I am a material girl. (Singer Madonna)
    • (Here, "material" is an adjective.)
  • The quality of American life must keep pace with the quantity of American goods. This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor. (President John F. Kennedy)
    • (Here, "materially" is an adverb.)
Top Tip

Materiel = Equipment

Let the last "e" in materiel remind you that it means equipment.
Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

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See Also

adverse or averse? affect or effect? appraise or apprise? avenge or revenge? bare or bear? complement or compliment? dependant or dependent? discreet or discrete? disinterested or uninterested? e.g. or i.e.? envy or jealousy? imply or infer? its or it's? poisonous or venomous? practice or practise? principal or principle? tenant or tenet? who's or whose? What are nouns? What are verbs? List of easily confused words