ylem

[ ahy-luhm ]

noun

1. the hypothetical initial substance of the universe from which all matter is derived.

ylem

/ ˈaɪləm /

noun

1. the original matter from which the basic elements are said to have been formed following the explosion postulated in the big bang theory of cosmology

Word History and Origins

Origin of ylem¹

First recorded in 1945–50; adoption, in modern astrophysics, of Middle English ylem (Gower), from Medieval Latin (h)ȳlem, from Late Latin, accusative of hȳlē “stuff, materials, matter,” from Greek hȳ́lē “forest, wood, woodland,” and in Aristotle's philosophy “matter”

Word History and Origins

Origin of ylem¹

Middle English, from Old French ilem, from Latin hӯlē stuff, matter, from Greek hulē wood, matter