substance

[ suhb-stuhns ]

noun

1. that of which a thing consists; physical matter or material:

   form and substance.

2. a species of matter of definite chemical composition:

   a chalky substance.

3. controlled substance.
4. the subject matter of thought, discourse, study, etc.

   Synonyms: subject, theme

5. the actual matter of a thing, as opposed to the appearance or shadow; reality.

   Synonyms: essence

6. substantial or solid character or quality:

   claims lacking in substance.

7. consistency; body:

   soup without much substance.

8. the meaning or gist, as of speech or writing.

   Synonyms: pith, import, significance

9. something that has separate or independent existence.
10. Philosophy.
    1. something that exists by itself and in which accidents or attributes inhere; that which receives modifications and is not itself a mode; something that is causally active; something that is more than an event.
    2. the essential part of a thing; essence.
    3. a thing considered as a continuing whole.
11. possessions, means, or wealth:

    to squander one's substance.

12. Linguistics. the articulatory or acoustic reality or the perceptual manifestation of a word or other construction ( form ).
13. a standard of weights for paper.

substance

/ ˈsʌbstəns /

noun

1. the tangible matter of which a thing consists
2. a specific type of matter, esp a homogeneous material with a definite composition
3. the essence, meaning, etc, of a written or spoken thought
4. solid or meaningful quality
5. material density

   a vacuum has no substance

6. material possessions or wealth

   a man of substance

7. philosophy
   1. the supposed immaterial substratum that can receive modifications and in which attributes and accidents inhere
   2. a thing considered as a continuing whole that survives the changeability of its properties
8. Christian Science that which is eternal
9. a euphemistic term for any illegal drug
10. in substance
    with regard to the salient points

Derived Forms

• ˈsubstanceless, adjective

Other Words From

• substance·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of substance¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin substantia “substance, essence” (literally, “that which stands under, i.e., underlies”), equivalent to sub- “under, beneath” + -stant- (stem of stāns, present participle of stāre “to stand”) + -ia noun suffix; sub-, stand, -ia; -ance

Word History and Origins

Origin of substance¹

C13: via Old French from Latin substantia, from substāre, from sub- + stāre to stand

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in substance,
   1. concerning the essentials; substantially.
   2. actually; really:

      That is in substance how it appeared to me.

More idioms and phrases containing substance

see in substance ; sum and substance .

Synonym Study

See matter.

Related Words

• amount
• effect
• meat
• significance
• strength
• stuff
• subject