entity - that which is perceived or known or inferred to have its own distinct existence (living or nonliving)

food, nutrient - any substance that can be metabolized by an organism to give energy and build tissue

ballast - any heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airship

bedding material, bedding, litter - material used to provide a bed for animals

body substance - the substance of the body

living substance, protoplasm - the living substance of a cell (including cytoplasm and nucleus)

drift - something that is heaped up by the wind or by water currents

grinding - matter resulting from the process of grinding; "vegetable grindings clogged the drain"

sediment, deposit - matter deposited by some natural process

material, stuff - the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object; "coal is a hard black material"; "wheat is the stuff they use to make bread"

ylem - (cosmology) the original matter that (according to the big bang theory) existed before the formation of the chemical elements

dark matter - (cosmology) a hypothetical form of matter that is believed to make up 90 percent of the matter in the universe; it is invisible (does not absorb or emit light) and does not collide with atomic particles but exerts gravitational force

antimatter - matter consisting of elementary particles that are the antiparticles of those making up normal matter

micronutrient - a substance needed only in small amounts for normal body function (e.g., vitamins or minerals)

philosopher's stone - a hypothetical substance that the alchemists believed to be capable of changing base metals into gold

precursor - a substance from which another substance is formed (especially by a metabolic reaction)

phlogiston - a hypothetical substance once believed to be present in all combustible materials and to be released during burning

allergen - any substance that can cause an allergy

assay - a substance that is undergoing an analysis of its components

pyrectic, pyrogen - any substance that can cause a rise in body temperature

mixture - (chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding)

hydrocolloid - a substance that forms a gel with water

adulterant, adulterator - any substance that adulterates (lessens the purity or effectiveness of a substance); "it is necessary to remove the adulterants before use"

atom - (physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element

chemical element, element - any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter

propellant, propellent - something that propels

denaturant - any substance that serves as a denaturing agent

activator - (biology) any agency bringing about activation; a molecule that increases the activity of an enzyme or a protein that increases the production of a gene product in DNA transcription

inhibitor - a substance that retards or stops an activity

ferment - a substance capable of bringing about fermentation

substrate - the substance acted upon by an enzyme or ferment

carcinogen - any substance that produces cancer

chemical compound, compound - (chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight

element - one of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe; "the alchemists believed that there were four elements"

foamentation - a substance used as a warm moist medicinal compress or poultice

fuel - a substance that can be consumed to produce energy; "more fuel is needed during the winter months"; "they developed alternative fuels for aircraft"

medium - an intervening substance through which something is achieved; "the dissolving medium is called a solvent"

culture medium, medium - (bacteriology) a nutrient substance (solid or liquid) that is used to cultivate micro-organisms

medium - (biology) a substance in which specimens are preserved or displayed

humectant - any substance that is added to another substance to keep it moist

concern - something that interests you because it is important or affects you; "the safety of the ship is the captain's concern"

cognitive content, mental object, content - the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned

blind spot - a subject about which you are ignorant or prejudiced and fail to exercise good judgment; "golf is one of his blind spots and he's proud of it"

res adjudicata, res judicata - a matter already settled in court; cannot be raised again

area - a subject of study; "it was his area of specialization"; "areas of interest include..."

trouble, problem - a source of difficulty; "one trouble after another delayed the job"; "what's the problem?"

consequence, moment, import - having important effects or influence; "decisions of great consequence are made by the president himself"; "virtue is of more moment that security"

piece of writing, written material, writing - the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect); "the writing in her novels is excellent"; "that editorial was a fine piece of writing"

dictation - matter that has been dictated and transcribed; a dictated passage; "he mailed the dictation without bothering to read it"

text, textual matter - the words of something written; "there were more than a thousand words of text"; "they handed out the printed text of the mayor's speech"; "he wants to reconstruct the original text"

text - the main body of a written work (as distinct from illustrations or footnotes etc.); "pictures made the text easier to understand"

typescript - typewritten matter especially a typewritten copy of a manuscript

front matter, prelims - written matter preceding the main text of a book

back matter, end matter - written matter following the main text of a book

addendum, supplement, postscript - textual matter that is added onto a publication; usually at the end

recitation - written matter that is recited from memory

be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"

press, weigh - to be oppressive or burdensome; "weigh heavily on the mind", "Something pressed on his mind"

matter to, interest - be of importance or consequence; "This matters to me!"