different between substance vs being

English

Alternative forms

• substaunce (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English substance, from Old French substance, from Latin substantia (“substance, essence”), from subst?ns, present active participle of subst? (“exist”, literally “stand under”), from sub + st? (“stand”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?s?bst?ns/, [?s?bst?nts]

Noun

substance (countable and uncountable, plural substances)

1. Physical matter; material.
   • 1699, William Temple, Heads designed for an essay on conversations

     Study gives strength to the mind; conversation, grace: the first apt to give stiffness, the other suppleness: one gives substance and form to the statue, the other polishes it.

   Synonyms: matter, stuff

2. The essential part of anything; the most vital part.

   • Heroic virtue did his actions guide, / And he the substance, not the appearance, chose.

   • 1684-1690, Thomas Burnet, Sacred Theory of the Earth

     This edition is the same in substance with the Latin.

   • 1796, Edmund Burke, Letters on a Regicide Peace

     It is insolent in words, in manner; but in substance it is not only insulting, but alarming.

   Synonyms: crux, gist

3. Substantiality; solidity; firmness.

4. Material possessions; estate; property; resources.

   • And there wasted his substance with riotous living.
5. A form of matter that has constant chemical composition and characteristic properties.
6. Drugs (illegal narcotics)

   Synonyms: dope, gear

7. (theology) Hypostasis.

Synonyms

• (physical matter): See also Thesaurus:substance
• (essential part of anything): See also Thesaurus:gist
• (drugs): See also Thesaurus:recreational drug

Related terms

Translations

Verb

substance (third-person singular simple present substances, present participle substancing, simple past and past participle substanced)

1. (rare, transitive) To give substance to; to make real or substantial.

See also

• style

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin substantia (“substance, essence”), from subst?ns, present active participle of subst? (“exist”, literally “stand under”), from sub + st? (“stand”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /syp.st??s/
• Rhymes: -??s

Noun

substance f (plural substances)

1. substance

Derived terms

Further reading

• “substance” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• cubassent

Middle English

Etymology

From Old French substance.

Noun

substance

1. essence

Descendants

• English: substance

Old French

Alternative forms

• sostance, sustance

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin substantia.

Noun

substance f (oblique plural substances, nominative singular substance, nominative plural substances)

1. most essential; substantial part
2. existence

Related terms

• substantiel

Descendants

English

Alternative forms

• beeing (archaic)
• beïng (rare)

Etymology

Originated 1250–1300 from Middle English being; see be + -ing.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?bi???/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?bi??/, /?bi?/
• Rhymes: -i???, -??
• Hyphenation: be?ing

Verb

being

1. present participle of be

Noun

being (countable and uncountable, plural beings)

1. A living creature.
2. The state or fact of existence, consciousness, or life, or something in such a state.
   • 1608-1634, John Webster (and perhaps Thomas Heywood), Appius and Virginia

     Claudius, thou / Wast follower of his fortunes in his being.

3. (philosophy) That which has actuality (materially or in concept).
4. (philosophy) One's basic nature, or the qualities thereof; essence or personality.
5. (obsolete) An abode; a cottage.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Wright to this entry?)

   • It was a relief to dismiss them [Sir Roger's servants] into little beings within my manor.

Synonyms

• (a living creature): See also Thesaurus:creature
• (the state or fact of existence): See also Thesaurus:existence

Derived terms

Translations

Conjunction

being

1. Given that; since.
   • , New York Review Books 2001, p.280:

     ’Tis a hard matter therefore to confine them, being they are so various and many […].

Synonyms

• as, because, seeing that; see also Thesaurus:because

Derived terms

• being that

Translations

References

• “being”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, ?ISBN
• “being” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• "being" in the Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version), K Dictionaries limited, 2000-2006.
• "being" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.

See also

Anagrams

• Bengi, begin, binge

Scottish Gaelic

Noun

being f (genitive singular beinge, plural beingean)

1. bench, form