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Entity - 6 dictionary results

en⋅ti⋅ty

  [en-ti-tee]
Use Entity in a Sentence
–noun, plural -ties.
1. something that has a real existence; thing: corporeal entities.
2. being or existence, esp. when considered as distinct, independent, or self-contained: He conceived of society as composed of particular entities requiring special treatment.
3. essential nature: The entity of justice is universality.
Origin:
1590–1600; < ML entitās, equiv. to enti- (s. of ēns), prp. of esse to be + -tās -ty 2

Related forms:
en⋅ti⋅ta⋅tive  [en-ti-tey-tiv] , adjective
en⋅ti⋅ta⋅tive⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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en·ti·ty   (ěn'tĭ-tē)   
n.   pl. en·ti·ties
  1. Something that exists as a particular and discrete unit: Persons and corporations are equivalent entities under the law.
  2. The fact of existence; being.
  3. The existence of something considered apart from its properties.

[Medieval Latin entitās, from Latin ēns, ent-, present participle of esse, to be; see es- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Entity

En"ti*ty\, n.; pl. Entities. [LL. entitas, fr. L. ens, entis, thing, prop. p. pr. of esse to be: cf. F. entit['e]. See Essence, Is.] A real being, whether in thought (as an ideal conception) or in fact; being; essence; existence.

Self-subsisting entities, such as our own personality. --Shairp.

Fortune is no real entity, . . . but a mere relative signification. --Bentley.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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entity 
1596, from M.L. entitatem (nom. entitas), from L. ens (gen. entis), proposed by Caesar as prp. of esse "be" (see is), to render Gk. philosophical term to on "that which is."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: en·ti·ty
Pronunciation: 'en-ti-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
: an organization (as a business or governmental unit) that has a legal identity which is separate from those of its members —see also ALTER EGO, INSTRUMENTALITY, JURIDICAL PERSON, LEGAL PERSON, PIERCE
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Main Entry: en·ti·ty
Pronunciation: 'en(t)-&t-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
: something (as a diseaseor condition) that has separate and distinct existence and objective or conceptual reality entity has been debated —Year Book of Medicine>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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