substance

n. [ F., fr. L. substantia, fr. substare to be under or present, to stand firm; sub under + stare to stand. See Stand. ] 1. 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

These cooks, how they stamp, and strain, and grind,
And turn substance into accident! Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Heroic virtue did his actions guide,
And he the substance, not the appearance, chose. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The most important element in any existence; the characteristic and essential components of anything; the main part; essential import; purport. [ 1913 Webster ]

This edition is the same in substance with the Latin. Bp. Burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is insolent in words, in manner; but in substance it is not only insulting, but alarming. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Material possessions; estate; property; resources. [ 1913 Webster ]

And there wasted his substance with riotous living. Luke xv. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,
Can not amount unto a hundred marks. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

We are destroying many thousand lives, and exhausting our substance, but not for our own interest. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Theol.) Same as Hypostasis, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]