substance
Pronunciation: /ˈsʌbstəns/
The English word “substance” has 8 meanings listed here.
noun
- Physical matter; material.
- A form of matter that has constant chemical composition and characteristic properties.
- The essential part of anything; the most vital part.
- Substantiality; solidity; firmness.
- Material possessions; estate; property; resources.
- Drugs (illegal narcotics)
- Ousia, essence; underlying reality or hypostasis in the philosophical sense.
verb
- To give substance to; to make real or substantial.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English substance, from Old French substance, from Latin substantia (“substance, essence”), from substāns, present active participle of substō (“exist”, literally “stand under”), from sub + stō (“stand”). Displaced native Old English andweorc.
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More English words
- Substackerati
- substage
- substalagmite
- substalagmitic
- substance abuse
- substance dependence
- substance dualism
- substance P
About this dictionary
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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.