Noun: quiddity kwi-di-tee
- The essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other
"Philosophers debated the quiddity of individual objects";
- haecceity
- An evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections
"Instead of addressing the main issue, he resorted to quiddities about the wording of the proposal";
- quibble, cavil
Derived forms: quiddities
Type of: center [US], centre [Brit, Cdn], core, equivocation, essence, evasion, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nitty-gritty [informal], nub, pith, substance, sum
Encyclopedia: Quiddity