quiddity
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quid·di·ty
(kwĭd′ĭ-tē)n. pl. quid·di·ties
1. The real nature of a thing; the essence.
2. A hairsplitting distinction; a quibble.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
quiddity
(ˈkwɪdɪtɪ)n, pl -ties
1. (Philosophy) philosophy the essential nature of something. Compare haecceity
2. a petty or trifling distinction; quibble
[C16: from Medieval Latin quidditās, from Latin quid what]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
quid•di•ty
(ˈkwɪd ɪ ti)n., pl. -ties.
1. the quality that makes a thing what it is; essential nature.
2. a trifling nicety of subtle distinction, as in argument.
[1530–40; < Medieval Latin quidditās= Latin quid what + -itās -ity]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
quiddity
the essential nature or quality of something that makes it different and distinct from other things and establishes its identity. — quidditative, adj.
See also: Philosophy-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | quiddity - an evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections equivocation, evasion - a statement that is not literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth |
2. | quiddity - the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other essence, heart and soul, inwardness, nitty-gritty, pith, substance, gist, kernel, nub, meat, core, sum, marrow, heart, center, centre - the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
quiddity
n
(Philos) → Quiddität f (spec), → Wesen nt
(liter: = quibble) → Spitzfindigkeit f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007