Word of the Day - 12/02/25
quiddity
/'kwɪdɪti/(n.): the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other
The quiddity of the old library seemed to seep from the worn wooden shelves.
Word Origin
The word 'quiddity' originates from Late Latin 'quidditas', which itself comes from Latin 'quid', meaning 'what'. The suffix '-itas' is a Latin noun-forming suffix equivalent to the English '-ity'. Thus, 'quiddity' essentially means 'whatness' or 'the essence of what something is'.
Words with similar origins include 'quid pro quo', meaning 'something for something' (literally 'what for what'), and 'quidnunc', referring to a busybody or gossip, literally meaning 'what now' in Latin.