stofflichen

Stofflichen is an inflected form of the German adjective stofflich, which means material or physical. The term relates to matter or substance and is used to describe the tangible, material aspects of objects or phenomena, as opposed to their mental, immaterial, or spiritual dimensions. The root Stoff means substance or material, and -lich is a common adjective suffix in German.

In usage, stoffliche Eigenschaften or stoffliche Merkmale refer to physical or material properties, such as density, melting point, hardness, thermal or electrical conductivity, and chemical reactivity in a practical sense. The phrase is common in science and engineering, as well as in everyday language when distinguishing between what is physically present or measurable and what is conceptual or abstract.

Philosophically, stofflich can appear in discussions about the material world, the substrate of phenomena, or the contrast between matter and mind. In such contexts, it helps articulate distinctions between the physical basis of things and non-material aspects like consciousness or values. The term is often paired with opposite concepts like geistig (mental) or immateriell (immaterial) to frame discussions about reality and properties.

Related terms include Stoff, Materie, Materialwissenschaft, and Materialität, which cover matter, material science, and the philosophical notion of material substance. While stofflich is primarily used as an adjective, its practical applications emphasize tangible, measurable, and physical dimensions of objects and systems.