quiddity
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quiddity
- /ˈkwɪdɪti/ UK
Where it comes from
From Middle English quidite, from Old French quidité, and its source, Late Latin quidditās, from Latin quid (“what”) + -itas (“-ness”) (whence -ity).
noun quiddities
-
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.
Similar: nature
- A trifle; a nicety or quibble.
- An eccentricity; an odd feature. They have ſwallowed and digeſted all the Fathers, the Codes, Provincials, Decretals, Pandects, Councils, Canons ; are Maſters of all the Schoolmen, not to fill their Heads and ſtuff their Writings with Quiddities and Quoddities, and far-fetched unintelligible Diſtinctions, but to be able to reaſon c
Similar: quintessence, whatness
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: quintessence, whatness
Translations
Every language
noun essence
| Español | esencia, quiddidad, quididad |
|---|---|
| Français | essence, quiddité |
| Italiano | quiddità |
| Română | quidditate |
| Русский | су́щность súščnostʹ, суть sutʹ |
| العربية | مَاهِيَّة māhiyya |
noun eccentricity
| Español | peculiaridad |
|---|---|
| Français | excentricité |
Talk about this word "quiddity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/quiddity. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. quiddity. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/quiddity "quiddity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/quiddity.Cite this
@misc{quiddity_2026,
title = {quiddity},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/quiddity},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
