German word

Substanz

Pronunciation

IPA/zʊpˈstant͡s/

Meaning

  • feminine nounsubstance

Example

Das Wasser enthält keine Substanz.

The water contains no substance.

Illustration for Substanz (substance)

More examples

Sein Beitrag hatte wirklich Substanz.

His contribution really had substance.

Core concept

A stable underlying stuff that gives a thing its real presence and character.

Common phrases

  • etwas hat Substanz

    ___ has substance

  • materielle Substanz

    material substance

  • philosophische Substanz

    philosophical substance

Similar words

Stoff: A fabric or textile used for clothing and other everyday items.
Material: Raw material or supplies used to make a product.
Materie: All physically existing matter, viewed as distinct from empty space or thought.

Definition in German

Substanz ist etwas, das als eigenständiger, beständiger Stoff existiert oder als die reale Grundlage einer Sache verstanden wird.

Word origin

Substanz comes from Latin substantia, meaning being or essence, from substare, 'to stand under'.

Usage tips

  • Substanz is feminine, so its definite form is die Substanz and its plural is die Substanzen.

Other meanings

  • essencenoun

Opposites

  • Unwesentlichkeitinsignificancenoun

Related words

  • Substanztheoriesubstance theorynoun
  • substanzlosinsubstantialadjective

Word lists with this word