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Added 8 October 2026

substantive

/ˈsʌbstəntɪv/ adjective

In Latin: substantīvus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about substantive at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Of the essence or essential element of a thing.
substantive information
Constituting the substance of content rather than its style, and thus always nontrivial.
Substantive editing is never trivial, whereas some aspects of copyediting are trivial.
Having substance; enduring; solid; firm; substantial.

noun

Ellipsis of noun substantive or substantive noun, a noun or a group of words (a noun phrase) that act as a noun (in a sentence). .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
Part of a text that carries the meaning, such as words and their ordering.

verb

To make a word belonging to another part of speech into a substantive (that is, a noun) or use it as a noun.

Origin

From Middle English substantif, from Old French substantif.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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