substance

B1 Topic:Materials & Substances

US /ˈsʌbstəns/ See IPA manual

Freq #6315

Meanings

1

noun
A particular type of solid, liquid, or gas with its own properties.

Water is a substance made of hydrogen and oxygen.
2

noun
The physical material that something is made of.

DNA is the substance that carries our genes.
3

noun
The most important or essential part of something.

The substance of his argument was that we should spend less.
4

noun
An illegal drug.

He was arrested for substance abuse.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a particular type of solid,... matter stuff

2 noun · the physical material that... matter stuff

3 noun · the most important or... crux gist

More bodycorporeitymass material

Opposites

dream ego energy force heat light mind nothing personality phantom power shadow

Word family

Forms substances

Derived forms exosubstancemucosubstancemultisubstancenanosubstancenonsubstancepolysubstancesubstance-wisesubstancehoodsubstancelesssubstancenesssubstantificationsubstantify

Related forms subsist substantial substantive

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

gray substance
nervous tissue rich in nerve-cell bodies and unmyelinated fibers

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Substance entered Middle English through Old French from Latin substantia, “being” or “essence,” derived from substare, “stand firm.” It first denoted the essential nature of something; the sense “solid thing” appeared about fifty years later.

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.

substance Middle English substantia Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Materials & Substances

External links

# substance

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈsʌbstəns/
**Frequency rank:** 6315

## Meanings
1. A particular type of solid, liquid, or gas with its own properties.
2. The physical material that something is made of.
3. The most important or essential part of something.
4. An illegal drug.

## Examples
- Water is a substance made of hydrogen and oxygen.
- DNA is the substance that carries our genes.
- The substance of his argument was that we should spend less.
- He was arrested for substance abuse.

## Synonyms
- body
- corporeity
- mass
- material
- matter
- stuff

## Antonyms
- dream
- ego
- energy
- force
- heat
- light
- mind
- nothing
- personality
- phantom
- power
- shadow

## Derived Forms
- exosubstance
- mucosubstance
- multisubstance
- nanosubstance
- nonsubstance
- polysubstance
- substance-wise
- substancehood
- substanceless
- substanceness
- substantification
- substantify

## Related Forms
- subsist
- substantial
- substantive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: substance
- Root: substantia

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Substance is 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. In present-day use, it can mean a particular type of solid, liquid, or gas with its own properties, or the physical material that something is made of.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances

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