the philosophical doctrine that identifies matter with the first cause of the universe
hylomorphism in American English
(ˌhailəˈmɔrfɪzəm)
noun
Philosophy
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
Derived forms
hylomorphist
noun
Word origin
[1885–90; hylo- + -morphism]This word is first recorded in the period 1885–90. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: booster, seminar, sensitization, toner, upsweephylo- is a combining form meaning “wood,” “matter,” used in the formation of compound words.Other words that use the affix hylo- include: hylotheism, hylotropic, hylozoism; -morphism is a combining form occurring in nouns that correspond to adjectives ending in -morphic or -morphous. Other words that use the affix -morphism include: anamorphism, epimorphism, katamorphism, monomorphism, paramorphism