■substance

1. substance与matter的区别，参见matter条。

2. 在美国，substance往往指“麻醉毒品”。【例如】controlled substance其实是“毒品”（当然医药上有其用途，可以control控制使用）/ substance abuse是“吸毒”的委婉用语。

See also: kernel

substance

(once / 91 pages)

Any material that possesses physical properties is called a substance. The word also refers to the gist or main idea of something. If you remember the main point of a lesson, you've got the substance.

The meaning of the noun substance has evolved over time, yet it has always been related to something sound and solid — from the Latin root substare, which means "to stand firm," to the Middle English definition as an "essential nature." Nowadays, we use the word to define someone who possesses honesty and intelligence, or when we examine a message to find its essence. To be thought of as a "person of substance" is a good thing, but to be thought of as a "substance abuser" is not so good.

WORD FAMILY

insubstantial: insubstantiality, insubstantially/insubstantiality: insubstantialities/substance: substances, substantial/substantial: insubstantial, substantialer, substantiality, substantially, substantialness, unsubstantial/substantiality: substantialities/unsubstantial: unsubstantialise, unsubstantialize, unsubstantially/unsubstantialise: unsubstantialised

USAGE EXAMPLES

A spokeswoman for DF Concerts said the substances could cause "serious harm" or even kill.

BBC(Jul 11, 2014)

Russell was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Seattle Times(Jul 11, 2014)

The governor’s appointees range from law enforcement officials to people who treat substance abuse to parents of children who may become patients.

Washington Times(Jul 10, 2014)

It’s noteworthy, too, that Mr. Colen abruptly ended his own history of substance abuse shortly after Mr. Snow’s death.

New York Times(Jul 10, 2014)

In this way, matter’s division ceased, and, as the ancients professed, substance was returned to its originary unity.

Literature(Jul 10, 2014)

nthe real physical matter of which a person or thing consists

DNA is the substance of our genes

nmaterial of a particular kind or constitution

the immune response recognizes invading substances

na particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties

shigella is one of the most toxic substances known to man

nthe choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience

Synonyms:

center, centre, core, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nitty-gritty, nub, pith, sum

nwhat a communication that is about something is about

Synonyms:

content, message, subject matter

Examples:

show 28 examples...

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Articles of Confederation

a written agreement ratified in 1781 by the thirteen original states; it provided a legal symbol of their union by giving the central government no coercive power over the states or their citizens

Communist Manifesto

a socialist manifesto written by Marx and Engels (1842) describing the history of the working-class movement according to their views

First Amendment

an amendment to the Constitution of the United States guaranteeing the right of free expression; includes freedom of assembly and freedom of the press and freedom of religion and freedom of speech

Fifth Amendment

an amendment to the Constitution of the United States that imposes restrictions on the government's prosecution of persons accused of crimes; mandates due process of law and prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy; requires just compensation if private property is taken for public use

Fourteenth Amendment

an amendment to the Constitution of the United States adopted in 1868; extends the guarantees of the Bill of Rights to the states as well as to the federal government

Eighteenth Amendment

an amendment to the Constitution of the United States adopted in 1920; prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages; repealed in 1932

Nineteenth Amendment

an amendment to the Constitution of the United States adopted in 1920; guarantees that no state can deny the right to vote on the basis of sex

Annunciation

(Christianity) the announcement to the Virgin Mary by the angel Gabriel of the incarnation of Christ

Parkinson's law

C. Northcote Parkinson's cynical observation that the number of subordinates in an organization will increase linearly regardless of the amount of work to be done

Parkinson's law

C. Northcote Parkinson's cynical observation that work will expand so as to fill the time available for its completion

Canterbury Tales

an uncompleted series of tales written after 1387 by Geoffrey Chaucer

Arabian Nights' Entertainment

a collection of folktales in Arabic dating from the 10th century

Hippocratic oath

an oath taken by physicians to observe medical ethics deriving from Hippocrates

Robert's Rules of Order

a book of rules for presiding over a meeting; written by Henry M. Martin in 1876 and subsequently updated through many editions

ASCII character set

(computer science) 128 characters that make up the ASCII coding scheme

Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System

relational database of the United States National Library of Medicine for the storage and retrieval of bibliographical information concerning the biomedical literature

Princeton WordNet

a machine-readable lexical database organized by meanings; developed at Princeton University

Dow-Jones Industrial Average

an indicator of stock market prices; based on the share values of 30 blue-chip stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange

Standard and Poor's Index

a broadly based stock market index

Lateran Treaty

the agreement signed in the Lateran Palace in 1929 by Italy and the Holy See which recognized the Vatican City as a sovereign and independent papal state

North Atlantic Treaty

the treaty signed in 1949 by 12 countries that established NATO

SALT I

the first treaty between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics resulting from the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

SALT II

the second treaty between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics resulting from the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

Peace of Westphalia

the peace treaty that ended the Thirty Years' War in 1648

Chemical Weapons Convention

a global treaty banning the production or acquisition or stockpiling or transfer or use of chemical weapons

Geneva Convention

an agreement first drawn up in Geneva in 1864 and later revised concerning the treatment of captured and wounded military personnel and civilians in wartime

Treaty of Versailles

the treaty imposed on Germany by the Allied powers in 1920 after the end of World War I which demanded exorbitant reparations from the Germans

Missouri Compromise

an agreement in 1820 between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States concerning the extension of slavery into new territories

nthe idea that is intended

Synonyms:

meaning

nconsiderable capital (wealth or income)

Synonyms:

means

substance

[noun]

1 = material, body, fabric, stuff

2 = meaning, essence, gist, import, main point, significance

3 = reality, actuality, concreteness

4 = wealth, assets, estate, means, property, resources

sub·stance

\\ˈsəb-stən(t)s\\ noun

ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin substantia, from substant-, substans, present participle of substare to stand under, from sub- + stare to stand — more at stand

DATE 14th century

1.
  a. essential nature : essence
  b. a fundamental or characteristic part or quality
  c. Christian Science : god 1b
2.
  a. ultimate reality that underlies all outward manifestations and change
  b. practical importance : meaning, usefulness
      the…bill—which will be without substance in the sense that it will authorize nothing more than a set of ideas — Richard Reeves
3.
  a. physical material from which something is made or which has discrete existence
  b. matter of particular or definite chemical constitution
  c. something (as drugs or alcoholic beverages) deemed harmful and usually subject to legal restriction
      possession of a controlled substance
      substance abuse
4. material possessions : property
    a family of substance
• sub·stance·less

\\-ləs\\ adjective
• • •
- in substance

substance

noun

OPAL W

/ˈsʌbstəns/

Idioms

jump to other results

[countable] a type of solid, liquid or gas that has particular qualities物质；物品；东西
- a sticky substance一种黏乎乎的东西
- a chemical/radioactive/hazardous substance 化学/放射性/有害物质
- Some frogs produce toxic substances in their skin.有些青蛙的皮肤能够分泌剧毒物质。
Extra Examples
- Exercise of this kind improves the balance of fatty substances in the bloodstream.这种锻炼可以改善血液中脂肪物质的平衡。
- Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that act on the brain.精神药物是作用于大脑的化学物质。
- a bag full of some unknown substance装满不明物质的袋子
- a natural substance found in the body of animals在动物体内发现的天然物质
- foreign substances that contaminated the experiments使实验受到污染的异物
Topics Physics and chemistryb1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- addictive
- cancer-causing
- carcinogenic
- …
verb + substance
- use
- abuse
- contain
- …
substance + noun
- use
- abuse
See full entry
[countable] a drug, especially an illegal one重要性
- illegal/controlled substances非法/受控物质
- He was disqualified from competing after testing positive to a banned substance.在对违禁药物进行阳性检测后，他没有参加比赛的资格。
- Adolescent substance use remains high in the United States.在美国，青少年物质使用量仍然很高。
[uncountable] the quality of being based on facts or the truth事实基础；根据
- The commission's report gives substance to these allegations.委员会的报告为这些说法提供了事实根据。
- There is some substance in what he says.他的话是有一定根据的。
- without substance It was malicious gossip, completely without substance.这是恶意造谣，完全没有事实根据。
Extra Examples
- His disappearance has given added substance to the argument that he stole the money.他的失踪更是给认为他偷了钱的说法提供了佐证。
- The image of him that the media have presented has no substance.媒体所展示的他的形象很空洞。
- The letters lent substance to the claims.这些信给索赔诉求提供了依据。
- Their allegations were without substance.他们的指控没有根据。
- There was little substance to his claims.他的说法没什么根据。
- There's no substance in the story.这篇报道没有根据。
- The party's manifesto is good on style but lacks real substance.该党的宣言文风优雅，但缺乏实质内容。
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- real
- added
verb + substance
- have
- add
- give something
- …
preposition
- in substance
- of substance
- with substance
- …
See full entry
[uncountable] the most important or main part of something主旨；要点；实质；基本内容
- the substance of something Love and guilt form the substance of his new book.他的新书主要讲爱情与罪孽。
- The real substance of the report was in the third part.这篇报告的实质性内容在第三部份。
- in substance I agreed with what she said in substance, though not with every detail.对于她所说的，虽然不是每个细节我都同意，但基本内容却是赞同的。
- There seems to be no difference in substance between the two procedures.两种程序的实质似乎没有什么区别。
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- real
- added
verb + substance
- have
- add
- give something
- …
preposition
- in substance
- of substance
- with substance
- …
See full entry
[uncountable] (formal) importance重要性 synonym significance
- of substance matters of substance 重大问题
- Nothing of any substance was achieved in the meeting.会议没有取得任何实质性成果。
Extra Examples
- He found it difficult to say much of substance.他发现很难讲太多实质内容。
- No one raised any matters of substance.没有人提出任何实质性问题。
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- real
- added
verb + substance
- have
- add
- give something
- …
preposition
- in substance
- of substance
- with substance
- …
See full entry

Word OriginMiddle English (denoting the essential nature of something): from Old French, from Latin substantia ‘being, essence’, from substant- ‘standing firm’, from the verb substare.

Idioms

a man/woman of substance

(formal) a rich and powerful man or woman有钱有势的男人／女人

substance

noun
1 an organic substance
MATERIAL , matter, stuff, medium, fabric.

2 he saw ghostly figures with no substance
SOLIDITY , body, corporeality, reality, actuality, materiality, concreteness, tangibility; density, mass, weight, shape, structure.

3 none of the objections put forward has any substance.
MEANINGFULNESS , significance, importance, import, moment, power, soundness, validity, content, pith, marrow, core; basis, foundation; informal clout.

4 the substance of the tale is too thin and familiar by far
CONTENT , subject matter, subject, theme, topic, text, message, material, burden, tenor, essence, quintessence, heart, meat, gist, drift, sense, import.

5 Rangers are a team of substance and skill
CHARACTER , backbone, mettle, strength of character; consequence, import, importance, significance, moment, magnitude, prominence; informal clout.

6 the proprietors were independent men of substance
WEALTH , fortune, riches, affluence, prosperity, money, capital, means, resources, assets, property, estates, possessions.

substance
see
⇨ MATERIAL 1
⇨ MEANING 2
• • •
• ⇨ illegal substance

substance
sub·stance / 5sQbstEns ; 5sQbstEns /noun
1. MATERIAL 物质, Ca particular type of solid, liquid, or gas物质:

•The leaves were covered with a strange sticky substance.树叶上覆着一层奇怪的黏乎乎乎乎的东西。

dangerous / toxic / hazardous / poisonous etc substance

•harmful substances in the atmosphere大气中的有害物质

•Plutonium 238 is one of the most toxic substances known to man.钚238 是人类已知的毒性最强的物质之一。

illegal / banned / prohibited / controlled substance ( = used especially about illegal drugs )非法/违禁/管制品

•Police found an illegal substance in his car.警察在他的车里发现了违禁品。

2. TRUTH 事实, U usually in questions and negativesformalif something has substance, it is true事实:

•There is no substance to the rumours (=they are untrue) .这些传说毫无根据。

without substance ( = untrue )

•O'Connell's remarks are completely without substance.奥康奈尔说的话完全站不住脚。

3. IDEAS 思想, sing., Uthe most important ideas contained in an argument or piece of writing〔论点、文章的〕主旨，主要内容; 真谛;SYNessence

•The substance of his argument was that people on welfare should work.他论点的主旨是享受社会福利的人应该去工作。

in substance

•What she said, in substance, was that the mayor should resign.她所说的中心意思是市长应该辞职。

4. IMPORTANCE 重要性, Uformalimportance重要性;SYNsignificance

•It was an entertaining speech, but it lacked substance (=there was no important information in it) .那是一篇很有趣味的演讲，但是没有多少实质内容。

matters / issues of substance

•We should be discussing matters of substance.我们应该讨论重大问题。

5. man / woman of substance BrE literarya rich man or woman富人，有财产的人

substance ★★★☆☆

1.N-COUNT 可数名词物质;物品;东西 A substance is a solid, powder, liquid, or gas with particular properties.

【搭配模式】：usu with supp

There's absolutely no regulation of cigarettes to make sure that they don't include poisonous substances...
根本没有法规来确保香烟不含有毒物质。
The substance that's causing the problem comes from the barley.
引起该问题的物质来自大麦。

2.N-UNCOUNT 不可数名词重要性;重大意义 Substance is the quality of being important or significant.

【搭配模式】：oft with brd-neg

【语域标签】：FORMAL 正式

It's questionable whether anything of substance has been achieved...
是否已经取得了任何实质性进展还是个问题。
Syria will attend only if the negotiations deal with issues of substance.
只有在谈判涉及重大问题时叙利亚才会参加。

3.N-SING 单数名词主旨;要点;实质;基本内容 The substance of what someone says or writes is the main thing that they are trying to say.

【搭配模式】：the N of n

The substance of his discussions doesn't really matter.
他讨论的要点实际上根本不重要。

4.N-UNCOUNT 不可数名词事实基础;根据 If you say that something has no substance, you mean that it is not true.

【语域标签】：FORMAL 正式

There is no substance in any of these allegations.
这些指控都毫无根据。

5.PHRASE 短语财力雄厚的;有权有势的；有影响力的 A person of substance has a lot of money, power, or influence.

【语域标签】：FORMAL 正式

...mature men of substance.
有钱有势的成熟男人

substance★★★☆☆

1[N-COUNT 可数名词] 物质;物品;东西；A substance is a solid, powder, liquid, or gas with particular properties. [usu with supp]

There's absolutely no regulation of cigarettes to make sure that they don't include poisonous substances...
根本没有法规来确保香烟不含有毒物质。
The substance that's causing the problem comes from the barley.
引起该问题的物质来自大麦。

2[N-UNCOUNT 不可数名词] 重要性;重大意义；Substance is the quality of being important or significant. [oft with brd-neg] [Formal]

It's questionable whether anything of substance has been achieved...
是否已经取得了任何实质性进展还是个问题。
Syria will attend only if the negotiations deal with issues of substance.
只有在谈判涉及重大问题时叙利亚才会参加。

3[N-SING 单数名词] 主旨;要点;实质;基本内容；The substance of what someone says or writes is the main thing that they are trying to say. [the N of n]

The substance of his discussions doesn't really matter.
他讨论的要点实际上根本不重要。

4[N-UNCOUNT 不可数名词] 事实基础;根据；If you say that something has no substance, you mean that it is not true. [Formal]

There is no substance in any of these allegations.
这些指控都毫无根据。

5[PHRASE 短语] 财力雄厚的;有权有势的；有影响力的；A person of substance has a lot of money, power, or influence. [Formal]

//...mature men of substance.
有钱有势的成熟男人

Oxford Collocations dictionary for students of English

substance
noun

¹ material

VERB + SUBSTANCE use | contain | produce Some frogs produce very toxic substances in their skin. | take The athletes had taken banned substances to increase their strength.

² important content

ADJ. real The real substance of the report was in the third part. | added His disappearance has given added substance to the argument that he stole the money.

VERB + SUBSTANCE have The image of him that the media have presented has no substance. | give sth, lend sth The letters lent substance to the rumours. | lack

PREP. in ~ There's no difference in substance between the two points of view. | of ~ Nothing of substance was achieved at the meeting. | without ~ Their allegations were without substance. | ~ in There's no substance in the story. | ~ to There was little substance to his claims.

substancesubstancenoun1.■ material 物质[搭配]ADJ.addictive, carcinogenic, dangerous, harmful, hazardous, noxious, poisonous, radioactive, toxic
使人上瘾的物质；致癌物；危险物质；有害物质；危险品；有害品；有毒物质；放射性物质；毒性物质innocuous
无害的物质:Even innocuous substances can sometimes register a positive result in a drug test. 即使无害的物质在药物测试中有时也会呈阳性。banned, illegal
违禁物品；非法物品natural
天然物质:a natural substance found in the body of animals 在动物体内发现的天然物质chemical
化学物质inorganic, organic
无机物；有机物pure
纯净物soluble, volatile
可溶性物质；挥发性物质crystalline, fatty, oily, slimy, sticky, viscous
结晶物；脂肪物质；油类物质；黏性物质medicinal
药物[搭配]VERB + SUBSTANCEuse
使用物质contain
含有物质produce
产生物质:Some frogs produce very toxic substances in their skin. 有些青蛙的皮肤能够分泌剧毒物质。take
吃/服用…物质:The athletes had taken banned substances to increase their strength. 运动员服用了违禁药物以增强力量。2.■ important content 重要内容[搭配]ADJ.real
真正的主旨:The real substance of the report was in the third part. 这篇报告的实质内容在第三部份。added
额外的根据:His disappearance has given added substance to the argument that he stole the money. 他的失给认为他偷了钱的说法提供了额外的佐证。[搭配]VERB + SUBSTANCEhave
有实质内容:The image of him that the media have presented has no substance. 媒体所展示的他的形象很空洞。give sth, lend sth
给…以依据:The letters lent substance to the rumours. 这些信件为谣言提供了依据。lack
缺乏事实内容[搭配]PREP.in ~
事实上:There’s no difference in substance between the two points of view. 这两种观点实则没有差别。of ~
有实际意义:Nothing of substance was achieved at the meeting. 会议没有取得任何实质性成果。without ~
绝非真实:Their allegations were without substance. 他们的说法不真实。~ in
在…中的事实根据:There’s no substance in the story. 这个故事没有什么内容。~ to
…的根据:There was little substance to his claims. 他的说法几乎毫无根据。

物质

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substance