ylem (I-lum) noun

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

[Middle English, universal matter, from Old French ilem, from Medieval
Latin hylem, accusative of hyle, matter, from Greek hule.]

   "Alpher and Gamow focused on the point when the universe had cooled to a
   state consisting of radiation and matter, ylem, Greek for the primordial
   stuff of life."
   Joseph D'Agnese, The last Big Bang man left standing, Discover, Jul 1999.

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for that.

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Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/ylem.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/ylem.ram