Search results
- Dictionaryquiddity/ˈkwɪdɪti/
noun
- 1. the inherent nature or essence of someone or something.
- 2. a distinctive feature; a peculiarity: "his quirks and quiddities"
Powered by Oxford Dictionaries
QUIDDITY definition: 1. the basic nature or quality of something, that makes it different from other things: 2. the…. Learn more.
The meaning of QUIDDITY is whatever makes something the type that it is : essence. Did you know?
When a politician avoids answering a question while pretending to answer it, she often does it using quiddity, or by bringing up irrelevant and distracting points. Quiddity is a usefully sneaky tool if you want to evade an argument or question, and it's often used by people like lawyers in court and teenagers angling for later curfews.
Definition of quiddity noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Quiddity was often contrasted by the scholastic philosophers with the haecceity or "thisness" of an item, which was supposed to be a positive characteristic of an individual that caused it to be this individual, and no other. It is used in this sense in British poet George Herbert's poem, "Quiddity". Example: What is a "tree"? We can only see specific trees in the world around us - the category "tree" which includes all trees is a classification in our minds, not empirical, and not ...
QUIDDITY meaning: 1. the basic nature or quality of something, that makes it different from other things: 2. the…. Learn more.
2 meanings: 1. philosophy the essential nature of something → Compare haecceity 2. a petty or trifling distinction; quibble.... Click for more definitions.
Jun 15, 2024 · quiddity (countable and uncountable, plural quiddities) (philosophy) The essence or inherent nature of a person or thing. A tub of butter, contemplated by him, amounts to a Platonic idea. He understands a leg of mutton in its quiddity. He stands wondering, amid the commonplace materials of life, like primæval man, with the sun and stars about him.
What does the noun quiddity mean? There are five meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun quiddity, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. How common is the noun quiddity? How is the noun quiddity pronounced? Where does the noun quiddity come from? quiddité quidditas. quide, n.
Define quiddity. quiddity synonyms, quiddity pronunciation, quiddity translation, English dictionary definition of quiddity. n. pl. quid·di·ties 1. The real nature of a thing; the essence. 2. A hairsplitting distinction; a quibble. American Heritage® Dictionary of the English...