Standard Lemma guide

transubstantiation

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /tɹænz.səbˈstæn.ʃiˌeɪ.ʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The doctrine holding that the bread and wine of the Eucharist are essentially transformed into the body and blood of Jesus.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: Catholicism, Christianity, Roman-Catholicism

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Conversion of one substance into another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

an act that changes the form or character or substance of something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: transmutation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: conversion

4

noun

Meaning 4

the Roman Catholic doctrine that the whole substance of the bread and the wine changes into the substance of the body and blood of Christ when consecrated in the Eucharist

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: theological doctrine

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *terh2-der. Proto-Indo-European *térh2t Proto-Indo-European *-ónts Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h2ónts Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h2n̥ts Proto-Italic *trāns Proto-Italic *trāns- Latin trāns- Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub- Proto-Indo-European *steh2- Proto-Indo-European *-éh1ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh1yeti Proto-Indo-European *sth2éh1yeti Proto-Italic *staējō Proto-Italic *staēō Latin stō Latin substantis Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin substantia Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin trānsubstantiō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Medieval Latin trānsubstantiātiōbor. English transubstantiation Borrowed from Medieval Latin trānsubstantiātiō.

Across languages

Translations

53 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 實體轉變 /实体转变 (shítǐ zhuǎnbiàn) — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Finnish: transsubstantiaatio — Roman Catholic dogma
  • French: transsubstantiation — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Galician: transubstanciación — Roman Catholic dogma
  • German: Transsubstantiation — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Hungarian: transzszubsztanciáció — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Hungarian: átlényegülés — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Icelandic: eðlisbreyting — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Icelandic: gjörbreyting — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Icelandic: eðlisbreytingarkenningin — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Indonesian: transubstansiasi — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Italian: transustanziazione — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Japanese: 聖変化 (seihenka) — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Korean: 성변화 (seongbyeonhwa) — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Latin: trānsubstantiātiō — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Macedonian: пресуштествување (presuštestvuvanje) — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Norwegian Bokmål: transsubstansiasjon — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Polish: transsubstancjacja — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Polish: przeistoczenie — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Portuguese: transubstanciação — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Romanian: transsubstianțiere — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Romanian: transsubstianțiațiune — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Russian: пресуществле́ние (presuščestvlénije) — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Spanish: transubstanciación — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Turkish: özgeriş — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Turkish: transübsitasyon — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Ukrainian: переісто́чення (pereistóčennja) — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Ukrainian: переосутнення (pereosutnennja) — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Ukrainian: преосуществління (preosuščestvlinnja) — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Ukrainian: транссубстанціація (transsubstanciacija) — Roman Catholic dogma
  • Chinese Mandarin: 實體變換 /实体变换 (shítǐ biànhuà) — conversion of one substance into another
  • Chinese Mandarin: 變質 /变质 (biànzhì) — conversion of one substance into another
  • Chinese Mandarin: 物質的改變 /物质的改变 (wùzhì de gǎibiàn) — conversion of one substance into another
  • Finnish: muuntuminen — conversion of one substance into another
  • Galician: transubstanciación — conversion of one substance into another
  • German: Wesensverwandlung — conversion of one substance into another
  • Greek: μετουσίωση (metousíosi) — conversion of one substance into another
  • Hungarian: átváltozás — conversion of one substance into another
  • Hungarian: átváltoztatás — conversion of one substance into another
  • Icelandic: ummyndun — conversion of one substance into another
  • Icelandic: myndbreyting — conversion of one substance into another
  • Indonesian: transubstansiasi — conversion of one substance into another
  • Japanese: 変質 — conversion of one substance into another
  • Latin: trānsmūtātiō — conversion of one substance into another
  • Macedonian: пресуштествување (presuštestvuvanje) — conversion of one substance into another
  • Malay: transubstansi — conversion of one substance into another
  • Māori: whakaahuakētanga — conversion of one substance into another
  • Romanian: transsubstanțiere — conversion of one substance into another
  • Romanian: transsubstanțiație — conversion of one substance into another
  • Russian: пресуществление (presuščestvlenije) — conversion of one substance into another
  • Spanish: transubstanciación — conversion of one substance into another
  • Turkish: özgeriş — conversion of one substance into another
  • Turkish: transübsitasyon — conversion of one substance into another