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{%type%} Definitions

WordNet 3.0Copyright Princeton University
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n. - The essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other; An evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections.

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Usage examples (35)
  • I was reminded of contranyms when Matt sent me an email about the word quiddity which means both “essence” and “hairsplitting distinction.”
  • It has therefore been termed the quiddity of the thing.
  • In search of quip and quiddity I've sat all day, alone, apart
  • The quiddity of a thing is what makes it the sort of thing it is.
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The Open Dictionary of English is a collaborative project, based on Open Source materials, LearnThat resources, and partner APIs.
We give special thanks to our LearnThat volunteers, as well as Princeton University and Wiktionary for their Open Source word data. We're also grateful for the support given by Google, Wordnik.com, Dictionary.com, Stands4.com and YouTube, OEDILF.com, Kylescholz.com, Best-Practice.com, Forvo.com, as well as the generous Creative Commons community.