Quiddity
- “what does quiddity mean”
- “word for the essence of a thing”
- “quiddity vs haecceity”
- “whatness philosophy”
:: COMPARE ::
QuiddityvsHaecceity
The short answer
Quiddity is what KIND of thing it is — the essence it shares with everything else of its type. Haecceity is that it is THIS one and no other — the thisness that no duplicate could copy. Two medieval terms for two genuinely different questions.
Side by side
| Aspect | Quiddity | Haecceity |
|---|---|---|
| Answers | What is it? | Which one is it? |
| Shared with others | Yes | No |
| Latin root | quid, 'what' | haec, 'this' |
| Survives a copy | Yes | No |
Which one you meant
Readers who land here meaning Quiddity rather than Haecceity are usually searching for phrases like “what does quiddity mean”, “word for the essence of a thing”, “quiddity vs haecceity”.
Read either one in full