hylomorphism

[ hahy-luh-mawr-fiz-uhm ]

noun

, Philosophy.

1. the theory that every physical object is composed of two principles, an unchanging prime matter and a form deprived of actuality with every substantial change of the object.

hylomorphism

/ ˌhaɪləˈmɔːfɪzəm /

noun

1. the philosophical doctrine that identifies matter with the first cause of the universe

Other Words From

• hylo·morphist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hylomorphism¹

First recorded in 1885–90; hylo- + -morphism

Example Sentences

A substantial table relies on a common sense metaphysics, formalized in Aristotle, that the world is comprised of substance that takes up space and is organized into objects by form, a view called hylomorphism from the Greek for matter+form.

From Scientific American

That 2,000 years ago Jesus started something that did not reach its climax in the 13th Century, that did not go wrong in the 16th Century, and that must face what is true in nuclear physics and psychoanalysis, as it tried to face the Arab threat with hylomorphism and Aristotelian dialectics.

From Time Magazine Archive