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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Substance \Sub"stance\, 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.
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These cooks, how they stamp, and strain, and grind,
And turn substance into accident! --Chaucer.
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Heroic virtue did his actions guide,
And he the substance, not the appearance, chose.
--Dryden.
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2. The most important element in any existence; the
characteristic and essential components of anything; the
main part; essential import; purport.
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This edition is the same in substance with the
Latin. --Bp. Burnet.
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It is insolent in words, in manner; but in substance
it is not only insulting, but alarming. --Burke.
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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.
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4. Material possessions; estate; property; resources.
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And there wasted his substance with riotous living.
--Luke xv. 13.
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Thy substance, valued at the highest rate,
Can not amount unto a hundred marks. --Shak.
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We are destroying many thousand lives, and
exhausting our substance, but not for our own
interest. --Swift.
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5. (Theol.) Same as {Hypostasis}, 2.
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Substance \Sub"stance\, v. t.
To furnish or endow with substance; to supply property to; to
make rich. [Obs.]
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