entry
substance
/ˈsʌbstəns/Essential nature, material, or meaningful content
From Latin sub (under) + Latin stō / stāre (to stand).
from Latin substantia "being, essence, material." This is
+1 more sourcefrom Latin substantia "being, essence, material." This is
+1 more sourcefrom Old French sustance , substance "goods, possessions; nature, composition" (12c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English substance
from Middle English substance
Word Ancestry
from Latin substantia "being, essence, material." This is
+1 more sourcefrom Latin substantia "being, essence, material." This is
+1 more sourcefrom Old French sustance , substance "goods, possessions; nature, composition" (12c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English substance
from Middle English substance
Picture a Roman philosopher trying to explain what remains when all the surface details are stripped away: beneath the appearances, something “stands.” Latin called that underlying reality substantia, built from sub, “under,” and stāre, “to stand.” By about c. 1300, the word had crossed into English through Old French sustance or substance, where it could mean both a thing’s essence and a person’s possessions—a surprisingly practical jump from metaphysics to money. Medieval theologians also used it for the divine essence of the Trinity, while later English extended it to physical matter and, by the 1780s, the meaningful content of speech or writing rather than its style. So when someone asks for the substance of an argument, they are asking what still stands after the verbal decoration has been cleared away.
The Story
Picture a Roman philosopher trying to explain what remains when all the surface details are stripped away: beneath the appearances, something “stands.” Latin called that underlying reality substantia, built from sub, “under,” and stāre, “to stand.” By about c. 1300, the word had crossed into English through Old French sustance or substance, where it could mean both a thing’s essence and a person’s possessions—a surprisingly practical jump from metaphysics to money. Medieval theologians also used it for the divine essence of the Trinity, while later English extended it to physical matter and, by the 1780s, the meaningful content of speech or writing rather than its style. So when someone asks for the substance of an argument, they are asking what still stands after the verbal decoration has been cleared away.
Modern Usage
An album by New Order, according to a documented Urban Dictionary entry
Popularized by: New Order
Notable References
- New Order album Substance
Kin & Kindred
From 'sub'·under, beneath, up to
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'stō / stāre'·to stand, remain firm, exist
Derived Terms
English words from this root