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The essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other
Answer for the clue "The essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other ", 8 letters:
quiddity
Alternative clues for the word quiddity
Word definitions for quiddity in dictionaries
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"a trifling nicety in argument, a quibble," 1530s, from Medieval Latin quidditas "the essence of things," in Scholastic philosophy, "that which distinguishes a thing from other things," literally "whatness," from Latin quid "what," neuter of indefinite ...
Wiktionary
Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. 1 (context philosophy English) The essence or inherent nature of a person or thing. 2 (context legal English) A trifle; a nicety or quibble. 3 An eccentricity; an odd feature.
WordNet
Word definitions in WordNet
n. an evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections [syn: quibble , cavil ] the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other [syn: haecceity ]
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Quiddity \Quid"di*ty\, n.; pl. Quiddities . [LL. quidditas, fr. L. quid what, neut. of quis who, akin to E. who: cf. F. quiddit['e].] The essence, nature, or distinctive peculiarity, of a thing; that which answers the question, Quid est? or, What is ...
Wikipedia
Word definitions in Wikipedia
In scholastic philosophy , quiddity (; Latin : quidditas ) was another term for the essence of an object, literally its "whatness" or "what it is".
Usage examples of quiddity.
Fool valiant and wise, a maker of songs, of quips and quiddities many and jocund, Joconde hight.
Fool valiant and wise, a maker of songs, of quips and quiddities many and jocund, Joconde hight.
So the humiliated scientist, all of whose quips and quiddities had been knocked out of him in the last hour, fetched the burnt manuscript from the fender and handed round a collection of such slips as were still legible, as if it had been a parlour game in earnest.
Fletcher did not entirely understand what Quiddity was (perhaps no human could), but he was certain the }aff, who'd used the Nuncio to cheat his way out of his limitations, would wreak havoc there.