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