identity definition | Dictionary.com

i⋅den⋅ti⋅ty

[ahy-den-ti-tee, i-den-]

–noun, plural -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.

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; < LL identitās, equiv. to L ident(idem) repeatedly, again and again, earlier *idem et idem (idem neut. of īdem the same + et and) + -itās -ity

Synonyms:
5. individuality, personality, distinctiveness, uniqueness.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To identity

i·den·ti·ty (ī-děn'tĭ-tē)

n. pl. i·den·ti·ties

The collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known: "If the broadcast group is the financial guts of the company, the news division is its public identity" (Bill Powell).
The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.
The quality or condition of being the same as something else.
The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; individuality.
Information, such as an identification number, used to establish or prove a person's individuality, as in providing access to a credit account.
Mathematics
1. An equation that is satisfied by any number that replaces the letter for which the equation is defined.
2. Identity element.

[French identité, from Old French identite, from Late Latin identitās, from Latin idem, the same (influenced by Late Latin essentitās, being, and identidem, repeatedly), from id, it; see i- 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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Identity

I*den"ti*ty\, n.; pl. Identities. [F. identit['e], LL. identitas, fr. L. idem the same, from the root of is he, that; cf. Skr. idam this. Cf. Item.]

1. The state or quality of being identical, or the same; sameness.

Identity is a relation between our cognitions of a thing, not between things themselves. --Sir W. Hamilton.

2. The condition of being the same with something described or asserted, or of possessing a character claimed; as, to establish the identity of stolen goods.

3. (Math.) An identical equation.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : identity

Spanish: identidad,

German: die Identität,

Japanese: 身元

More Translations »

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.

Main Entry: iden·ti·ty
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
1 : sameness of essential character or aspect identity of the issues and the parties>
2 a : separate or distinct existence identity or become an integral part of the immovable —Louisiana Civil Code> b : distinguishing character of a person; especially : information (as a name or address) that distinguishes a person identity of an informer> identity of the proper party —Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 15(c)>
3 : the condition of being the same as a thing or person described, claimed, or accused identity of a crime's perpetrator>

Main Entry: iden·ti·ty
Pronunciation: I-'den(t)-&t-E, &-'
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
1 : the distinguishing character or personality of an individual
2 : the relation established by psychological identification

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.

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