entity

American  

[en-ti-tee] / ˈɛn tɪ ti /

noun

• entities
  plural

1. something that has a real existence; thing.

   corporeal entities.

2. being or existence, especially when considered as distinct, independent, or self-contained.

   He conceived of society as composed of particular entities requiring special treatment.

3. essential nature.

   The entity of justice is universality.

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entity British  

/ ˈɛntɪtɪ /

noun

1. something having real or distinct existence; a thing, esp when considered as independent of other things

2. existence or being

3. the essence or real nature

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• entitative
  adjective
• entitatively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• entities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of entity

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Medieval Latin entitās, from enti-, stem of ēns “being” (present participle of esse “to be”; cf. essence ( def. )) + -tās -ty ²

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Explanation

If your little sister turns her lemonade stand into a lemonade empire, she might incorporate it as a company. Under the law, it would be considered an entity, or a separate being for purposes of government control. The word entity originally meant "being, existence," and was borrowed from Medieval Latin entitas, from Latin ens, irregular form of esse "to be, exist." The suffix –ity means "quality or state." Medieval Christian philosophers, influenced by the Church Fathers and Aristotle, discussed the concept of ens "abstract being" versus esse "actual being."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

entity entities

In May, Cohere announced a deal to acquire German AI firm Aleph Alpha, creating a combined entity with dual headquarters in Toronto and Berlin, in a deal backed by Ottawa and Berlin.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

Broadcom also plans to provide residual value support to the new entity equal to the first lien portion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

The company said in June that it would spin off its TV, film and streaming business into a separate, publicly-traded entity, which is expected to be completed next summer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

At that price, he said, SpaceX could issue 3.23 new shares for each Tesla share held, giving Tesla investors 48% ownership of a combined entity with a roughly $3.74 trillion valuation.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

His childhood was full of them; his very body was an empty hall echoing with sonorous defeated names; he was not a being, an entity, he was a commonwealth.

From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner

Generally, Virginia utilities don’t have standard eminent domain authority over certain public entities like county governments or school boards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

It said it was urging private sector entities "to block transactions with or derived from addresses TraderTraitor actors are using to launder these stolen assets."

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

It’s also not hard to imagine the estates of Big Mama Thornton and Arthur Crudup — should any such entities exist — scoffing at those headlines.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

They also recognize the many economic contributions of the lower-earning spouse and are designed to treat a marriage not as two separate entities building two independent nests, but as a lifelong partnership.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

Although these settlements were permanent, winter and summer alike, they often were not tightly knit entities, with houses and fields in carefully demarcated clusters.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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Related Words

• body
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