QUIDDITY


Meaning of QUIDDITY in English

ˈkwidəd.ē, -ətē, -i noun

( -es )

Etymology: Medieval Latin quidditas essence, from Latin quid what, anything + -itas -ity — more at quid

1.

a.

(1) : a quibbling subtlety : a trifling point : quibble

(2) : an inclination to quibble

b. : an odd little feature : eccentricity

his own personality, with all its quirks and quiddities — Clifton Fadiman

2. : the essential nature or ultimate form of something : what makes something to be the type of thing that it is — compare haecceity

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.