tɪ noun, plural i·den·ti·ties.
1.
the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions: The identity of the fingerprints on the gun with those on file provided evidence that he was the killer.
2.
the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another: He doubted his own identity.
3.
condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is: a case of mistaken identity.
4.
the state or fact of being the same one as described.
5.
the sense of self, providing sameness and continuity in personality over time and sometimes disturbed in mental illnesses, as schizophrenia.
6.
exact likeness in nature or qualities: an identity of interests.
7.
an instance or point of sameness or likeness: to mistake resemblances for identities.
8.
Logic. an assertion that two terms refer to the same thing.
9.
Mathematics.
a.
an equation that is valid for all values of its variables.
b.
Also called identity element, unit element, unity. an element in a set such that the element operating on any other element of the set leaves the second element unchanged.
c.
the property of a function or map such that each element is mapped into itself.
d.
the function or map itself.
10.
Australian Informal. an interesting, famous, or eccentric resident, usually of long standing in a community.
Origin:
1560–70; < Late Latin identitās, equivalent to Latin ident(idem) repeatedly, again and again, earlier *idem et idem (idem neuter of īdem the same + et and) + -itās -ity
1560–70; < Late Latin identitās, equivalent to Latin ident(idem) repeatedly, again and again, earlier *idem et idem (idem neuter of īdem the same + et and) + -itās -ity
Related forms
non·i·den·ti·ty, noun
Synonyms
5. individuality, personality, distinctiveness, uniqueness.
5. individuality, personality, distinctiveness, uniqueness.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To identity
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Identity
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
identity (aɪˈdɛntɪtɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -ties | |
| 1. | the state of having unique identifying characteristics held by no other person or thing |
| 2. | the individual characteristics by which a person or thing is recognized |
| 3. | Also called: numerical identity the property of being one and the same individual: his loss of memory did not affect his identity |
| 4. | Also called: qualitative identity the state of being the same in nature, quality, etc: they were linked by the identity of their tastes |
| 5. | the state of being the same as a person or thing described or claimed: the identity of the stolen goods has not yet been established |
| 6. | identification of oneself as: moving to London destroyed his Welsh identity |
| 7. | logic |
| a. that relation that holds only between any entity and itself | |
| b. an assertion that that relation holds, as Cicero is Tully | |
| 8. | maths |
| a. an equation that is valid for all values of its variables, as in (x -- y)(x + y) = x² -- y². Often denoted by the symbol ≡ | |
| b. See also inverse Also called: identity element a member of a set that when operating on another member, x, produces that member x: the identity for multiplication of numbers is 1 since x.1 = 1.x = x | |
| 9. | informal (Austral), (NZ) a well-known person, esp in a specified locality; figure (esp in the phrase an old identity) |
| [C16: from Late Latin identitās, from Latin idem the same] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
identity
1570, from M.Fr. identité (14c.), from L.L. (5c.) identitatem (nom. identitas) "sameness," from ident-, comb. form of L. idem (neut.) "the same" (see identical); abstracted from identidem "over and over," from phrase idem et idem. Term identity crisis first recorded 1954.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
identity i·den·ti·ty (ī-děn'tĭ-tē)
n.
The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.
The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; individuality.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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