What is "ousia"

n. 1 (context theology English) The essential nature or ‘substance’ of god. 2 (context philosophy English) essence, being.

Ousia is a music ensemble from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The group classifies their music (a mixture of ambient, noise, and space rock) as "Snowbient." Their current instrumentation consists of two guitars, bass, and synthesizers. Musically, their compositions are constructed around keys and dynamics, rather than a traditional "verse / bridge / chorus" musical form. A consistent approach involving improvisation and "live" recordings, minimizes the difference between their performances and CD releases. Ousia have performed with The Flaming Lips, Laibach, Third Eye Foundation, Windy and Carl, as well as headlining their own shows.

Ousia may refer to:

• Ousia, a philosophical term meaning "essence"
• Ousia (band), American band

Ousia is analogous to the English concepts of being and ontic used in contemporary philosophy. Ousia is often translated (sometimes incorrectly) to Latin as substantia and essentia, and to English as substance and essence; and (loosely) also as (contextually) the Latin word accident ( sumbebekós).