01 n. That which forms the basis of anything; underlying principle; a concept or mental entity conceived or treated as an existing being or thing.
pl.
Hypostases ((#))
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1.
That which forms the basis of anything; underlying principle; a concept or mental entity conceived or treated as an existing being or thing.
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2.
Substance; subsistence; essence; person; personality; -- used by the early theologians to denote any one of the three subdivisions of the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.(Theol.)
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3.
Principle; an element; -- used by the alchemists in speaking of salt, sulphur, and mercury, which they considered as the three principles of all material bodies.
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4.
That which is deposited at the bottom of a fluid; sediment.(Med.)