Meanings
nounsource material (countable and uncountable, plural source materials)
plural source materials
- countableuncountableThe material used to create a derivative work.
I can appreciate that Macca’s band plays faithful to the source material, never putting too obvious a personal spin on the music. It’s sometimes frustrating, especially when the solo part in “Get Back” is screaming for some impromptu finesse, but it’s mostly fair.
2026 March 29, Matt Mitchell, “In LA, Paul McCartney is king”, in AV Club, archived from the original on 30 Mar 2026
Cite this entry
APA
source material. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/source%20material
MLA
“source material.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/source%20material. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “source material,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/source%20material.
Source: source material on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.