Matter-Of-Fact
/ˌmæt.ər əv ˈfækt/noun
Practical and unemotional; concerned with facts rather than speculation.
Did you know?Although it now means plain and practical, the phrase was first tied to legal and philosophical language about the sheer reality of a thing—its actual existence, not a mystical or imagined version of it.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
factum
“A thing done; a deed or act.”
Old French
OF
fait
“A deed, act, or event.”
Middle English
ME
matter of fact
“A matter based on actual deed or reality, especially in legal or argumentative use.”
17th Century
English
matter of fact
“A statement or tone based on actual facts, especially opposed to speculation or rhetoric.”
Modern English
English
matter-of-fact
“Practical, unemotional, and straightforward in manner or expression.”