quiddity
pronunciation
How to pronounce quiddity in British English:
UK [ˈkwɪdɪti]
How to pronounce quiddity in American English:
US ['kwɪdɪtɪ]
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- Noun:
- an evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections
- the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other
Word Origin
- quiddity (n.)
- "a trifling nicety in argument, a quibble," 1530s, from Medieval Latin quidditas "the essence of things," in Scholastic philosophy, "that which distinguishes a thing from other things," literally "whatness," from Latin quid "what," neuter of indefinite pronoun quis "somebody, someone or other" (see who). Sense developed from scholastic disputes over the nature of things. Original classical meaning "real essence or nature of a thing" is attested in English from late 14c.
Example
- 1. The purpose of the analysis learned from the legal theory that the theories disagree and quiddity between school-choice and entering school near home , lies in looking for a reasonable value tropism for the establishment of the related compulsory education law , norm and the policy .