materia subtilis

noun

An ethereal substance once believed to fill spaces emptied of air (i.e. any vacuum) and to be capable of passing through solid objects.

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Meanings

nounmateria subtilis (uncountable)
  1. historicaluncountableAn ethereal substance once believed to fill spaces emptied of air (i.e. any vacuum) and to be capable of passing through solid objects.

Origin

Latin

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Cite this entry
APA

materia subtilis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/materia%20subtilis

MLA

“materia subtilis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/materia%20subtilis. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “materia subtilis,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/materia%20subtilis.

Source: materia subtilis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.