In
linguistics, a
hypostasis (from the
Greek word ὑπόστασις meaning
foundation,
base or
that which stands behind), is a relationship between a name and a known quantity, as a cultural personification (i.e.
objectification with personality) of an entity or quality. It often connotes the personification of typically elemental powers, such as wind and fire, or human life, fertility, and death. In descriptive linguistics, the term was first introduced by
Leonard Bloomfield to account for uses of synsemantic words as autosemantic in sentences such as
I'm tired of your ifs and buts. In this sense, the usage meaning of the word is referred to as a whole.