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substance

 - 7 dictionary results

sub⋅stance

  [suhb-stuhns]
Use substance in a Sentence
–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.
5. the actual matter of a thing, as opposed to the appearance or shadow; reality.
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.
9. something that has separate or independent existence.
10. Philosophy.
a. 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.
b. the essential part of a thing; essence.
c. 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 (distinguished from form ).
13. a standard of weights for paper.
—Idiom
14. in substance,
a. concerning the essentials; substantially.
b. actually; really: That is in substance how it appeared to me.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME < L substantia substance, essence (lit., that which stands under, i.e., underlies), equiv. to sub- sub- + -stant- (s. of stāns, prp. of stāre to stand ) + -ia -ia (see -ance )

Related forms:
sub⋅stance⋅less, adjective

Synonyms:
1. See matter. 4. theme, subject. 4, 5, 8. essence. 8. significance, import, pith.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To substance
sub·stance   (sŭb'stəns)   
n.  

    1. That which has mass and occupies space; matter.

    2. A material of a particular kind or constitution.

    3. Essential nature; essence.

    4. Gist; heart.

    1. Essential nature; essence.

    2. Gist; heart.

  3. That which is solid and practical in character, quality, or importance: a plan without substance.

  4. Density; body: Air has little substance.

  5. Material possessions; goods; wealth: a person of substance.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin substantia, from substāns, substant-, present participle of substāre, to be present : sub-, sub- + stāre, to stand; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These nouns denote the essential import or significance of something spoken or written: the substance of his complaint; the burden of the President's speech; the core of an article; the gist of her argument; the pith of an essay; the purport of a document.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

substance 
c.1300, "essential nature," from O.Fr. substance (12c.), from L. substantia "being, essence, material," from substans, prp. of substare "stand firm, be under or present," from sub "up to, under" + stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). A loan-translation of Gk. hypostasis. Sense of "the matter of a study, discourse, etc." first recorded 1390. Meaning "any kind of corporeal matter" also is first attested 1390.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: sub·stance
Function: noun
1 : SUBSTANTIVE LAW substance and not process> —compare PROCEDURE
2 : something (as language) essential esp. to establishing a valid right, claim, or charge substance>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: sub·stance
Pronunciation: 's&b-st&n(t)s
Function: noun
1 : physical material from which something is made or which hasdiscrete existence substance of nerve tissue>
2 : matter of particular or definite chemical constitution
3 : something (as drugs or alcoholicbeverages) deemed harmful and usually subject to legal restriction substance> substance problem>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

substance sub·stance (sŭb'stəns)
n.

  1. That which has mass and occupies space; matter.

  2. A material of a particular kind or constitution.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

substance

see in substance; sum and substance.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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