substance
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. Meaning "any kind of corporeal matter" is first attested mid-14c. Sense of "the matter of a study, discourse, etc." first recorded late 14c.