quiddity
Americannoun
plural
quiddities-
Also called whatness. the quality that makes a thing what it is; the essential nature of a thing.
-
a trifling nicety of subtle distinction, as in argument.
noun
-
philosophy the essential nature of something Compare haecceity
-
a petty or trifling distinction; quibble
Etymology
Origin of quiddity
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Medieval Latin quidditās, equivalent to Latin quid “what” + -itās noun suffix; -ity
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ample quotations from Hardwick allow her restless quiddity to come through.
From New York Times • Nov. 3, 2021
And that may have sounded like a compliment to a playful media class, but quiddity is identity.
From The Guardian • Mar. 3, 2020
Sapped of quiddity, she has become “an all-American girl.”
From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2016
Beautifying asphalt would seem to be no cinch, but the naked quiddity of the stuff, after a third or fourth look, turns cherishable.
From The New Yorker • Mar. 21, 2016
Is not pun from Punic? punica fides: the very quint-essential quiddity of bad faith: double-visaged: double-tongued.
From Maid Marian by Peacock, Thomas Love
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
