ˈīˌdäs, ˈāˌ- noun
( plural ei·de ˈīˌdē, ˈāˌdā)
Etymology: Greek, literally, shape, form — more at idol
1. : something that is seen or intuited:
a. in Platonism : idea
b. in Aristotelianism
(1) : form , essence
(2) : species
c. : an appearance, conception, or form of intuition
2. : the cognitive part of cultural structure made up of the criteria of credibility, the logic used in thinking and acting, and the basic ideas by which the members of a culture organize and interpret experience : logical structure
the eidos is visible wherever group behavior is characterized by intellectual efforts of a similar kind — S.F.Nadel
— contrasted with ethos