Substance

How to spell substance

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce substance

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does substance mean?

1. nounA particular kind of matter or material with definite properties.
2. nounThe real or essential meaning, importance, or solid content of something.

Substance in a sentence

• The laboratory tested an unknown substance found at the scene.

• Her report was long but lacked any real substance.

• The sticky substance on the workbench would not wash off easily.

• The committee wanted a proposal with genuine substance behind it.

Where does substance come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin substantia, meaning 'being' or 'essence', which was itself formed from the verb substare, literally 'to stand underneath' or 'to stand firm'. That verb joined sub, meaning 'under', with stare, meaning 'to stand', so the underlying image is of the firm thing that stands beneath appearances and gives them reality. Roman philosophers used substantia to translate Greek ideas about what truly underlies a thing, and English borrowed the word through Old French during the 1300s. Over time it developed two everyday strands: the physical 'stuff' or material something is made of, and the figurative 'real content' or importance of an argument. The same stare root that means 'to stand' also feeds words like 'stable' and 'state', which is a useful reminder that the middle of substance is built on 'st', not a single 's'.

How the word is built

• sub- (under)
• st (from stare: to stand)
• -ance (noun suffix)