IDENTITY

noun (plural -ties) Etymology: Middle French identité, from Late Latin identitat-, identitas, probably from Latin identidem repeatedly, contraction of idem et idem, literally, same and same Date: 1570 1. sameness of essential or generic character in different instances, sameness in all that constitutes the objective reality of a thing ; oneness , 2. the distinguishing character or personality of an individual ; individuality , the relation established by psychological identification, the condition of being the same with something described or asserted , an equation that is satisfied for all values of the symbols, ~ element