Etymology : Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin substantia, from substant-, substans, present participle of substare to stand under, from sub- + stare to stand; more at STAND
Pronunciation : s&b-st&n(t)s
Function : noun
Date : 14th century
1. material, matter; essence, meaning, content; reality; body, consistency; wealth. substance\sub"stance\ , n. [f., fr. l. substantia, fr. substare to be under or present, to stand firm; sub under + stare to stand. see:
stand.].
2. that which underlies all outward manifestations; substratum; the permanent subject or cause of phenomena, whether material or spiritual; that in which properties inhere; that which is real, in distinction from that which is apparent; the abiding part of any existence, in distinction from any accident; that which constitutes anything what it is; real or existing essence. these cooks, how they stamp, and strain, and grind, and turn substance into accident! heroic virtue did his actions guide, and he the substance, not the appearance, chose.
3. the most important element in any existence; the characteristic and essential components of anything; the main part; essential import; purport. this edition is the same in substance with the latin. burnet. it is insolent in words, in manner; but in substance it is not only insulting, but alarming.
4. body; matter; material of which a thing is made; hence, substantiality; solidity; firmness; as, the substance of which a garment is made; some textile fabrics have little substance.
5. material possessions; estate; property; resources. and there wasted his substance with riotous living. v.
6. thy substance, valued at the highest rate, can not amount unto a hundred marks. we are destroying many thousand lives, and exhausting our substance, but not for our own interest.
7. (theol.) same as hypostasis, 2.substance \sub"stance\, v. t. to furnish or endow with substance; to supply property to; to make rich. [obs.]substance n.
8. that which has mass and occupies space; "an atom is the smallest indivisible unit of matter" [syn: matter].
9. the stuff of which an object consists.
10. the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience: "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the republican party"; "the nub of the story" [syn: kernel, core, center, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-gritty].
11. the idea that is intended; "what is the meaning of this proverb?" [syn: meaning].
12. considerable capital (wealth or income); "he is a man of means" [syn: means].
13. what a communication that is about something is about [syn: message, content, subject matter].
14. That which underlies all outward manifestations; substratum; the permanent subject or cause of phenomena, whether material or spiritual; that in which properties inhere; that which is real, in distinction from that which is apparent; the abiding part of any existence, in distinction from any accident; that which constitutes anything what it is; real or existing essence.
15. The most important element in any existence; the characteristic and essential components of anything; the main part; essential import; purport.
16. Body; matter; material of which a thing is made; hence, substantiality; solidity; firmness; as, the substance of which a garment is made; some textile fabrics have little substance.
17. Material possessions; estate; property; resources.
18. Same as Hypostasis, 2.
19. To furnish or endow with substance; to supply property to; to make rich. that which has mass and occupies space; "an atom is the smallest indivisible unit of matter" the stuff of which an object consists.
20. 1. A substance is a solid, powder, liquid, or gas with particular properties. There's absolutely no regulation of cigarettes to make sure that they don't include poisonous substances The substance that's causing the problem comes from the barley.
21. Substance is the quality of being important or significant. It's questionable whether anything of substance has been achieved Syria will attend only if the negotiations deal with issues of substance.
22. The substance of what someone says or writes is the main thing that they are trying to say. The substance of his discussions doesn't really matter.
23. If you say that something has no substance, you mean that it is not true. There is no substance in any of these allegations. = truth.