haecceity

British  

/ hiːk-, hɛkˈsiːɪtɪ /

noun

1. philosophy the property that uniquely identifies an object Compare quiddity

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Etymology

Origin of haecceity

C17: from Medieval Latin haecceitas, literally: thisness, from haec, feminine of hic this

Explanation

The haecceity of something refers to the quality that makes it what it is: its essence. Haecceity is what makes a dog a dog or a fork a fork. Haecceity is a fancy-sounding word for a simple concept that’s expressed well by its Latin origin, which means this-ness. Philosophers can debate the haecceity of people, meaning what it is that makes a person a person. If you're talking about what makes a chair a chair, or what makes a cat a cat, or what makes a star a star, you're discussing haecceity.