dead matter

noun

Printing.

1. type that has been set and used for printing or platemaking and is of no further use.

2. foul matter.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dead matter¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

“But we should continue to request that healthy live vegetation be permissible if it’s not likely to be ignited by embers, so it’s not lumped in with plants that accumulate dead wood like junipers and cypress trees that always have accumulated dead matter in them.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The model for her interactive “Symbiotica” is mycelium, a fungus that plays a crucial role in decomposing dead matter, in the process yielding nitrogen that forms the bulk of Earth’s atmosphere.

Read more on Washington Post

The cold, dead matter of the stars would decay away, leaving nothing but a smear of radiation that spreads equally throughout the universe.

Read more on Literature

Among them are several yards of fungal filaments that convert dead matter to biomass, or attach to plant roots to boost their nutrient uptake; up to a billion bacteria that convert nitrogen gas into compounds that "feed" those plants and other organisms; a few dozen nematodes and a few thousand protozoa that keep bacterial populations in check, mineralize nutrients and protect plants from pathogens.

Read more on Salon

It is, to say the least, a land of contradictions – one where the life above ground was built almost entirely from the dead matter below it.

Read more on The Guardian