ylem

y·lem  (lm)

n.

A form of matter hypothesized by proponents of the big bang theory to have existed before the formation of the chemical elements.

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[Middle English, universal matter, from Old French ilem, from Medieval Latin hlem, accusative of hl, matter, from Greek hl.]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

ylem - (cosmology) the original matter that (according to the big bang theory) existed before the formation of the chemical elements matter - that which has mass and occupies space; "physicists study both the nature of matter and the forces which govern it" cosmogeny, cosmogony, cosmology - the branch of astrophysics that studies the origin and evolution and structure of the universe