entelechy

[ en-tel-uh-kee ]
/ ɛnˈtɛl ə ki /

noun, plural en·tel·e·chies.

a realization or actuality as opposed to a potentiality.
(in vitalist philosophy) a vital agent or force directing growth and life.

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Origin of entelechy

1595–1605; < Late Latin entelechīa < Greek entelécheia, equivalent to en- en-2 + tél(os) goal + éch(ein) to have + -eia -y3

OTHER WORDS FROM entelechy

en·te·lech·i·al [en-tuh-lek-ee-uh l] /ˌɛn təˈlɛk i əl/, adjective

Words nearby entelechy

entanglement, entangling alliances with none, entasia, entasis, entebbe, entelechy, entellus, entente, entente cordiale, enter, enter into
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for entelechy

British Dictionary definitions for entelechy

entelechy
/ (ɛnˈtɛlɪkɪ) /

noun plural -chies metaphysics

(in the philosophy of Aristotle) actuality as opposed to potentiality
(in the system of Leibnitz) the soul or principle of perfection of an object or person; a monad or basic constituent
something that contains or realizes a final cause, esp the vital force thought to direct the life of an organism

Word Origin for entelechy

C17: from Late Latin entelechia, from Greek entelekheia, from en- ² + telos goal, completion + ekhein to have
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012