r/logophilia • u/Total_Ad1473 • 21d ago

Dictionary Definition Quiddity

(noun)

The essential nature or distinctive quality of something; what makes a thing what it is.

Quiddity comes from the Medieval Latin quidditas, from quid meaning “what.” Philosophers used it to describe the fundamental “whatness” of a thing.

💬 Challenge: Can you use quiddity in a sentence, or name something whose essential quality is difficult to put into words? 🧠📚

29 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

10

u/Theophilologist 21d ago

Could deictic quiddity be called haecceity?

5

u/Total_Ad1473 20d ago

roughly, yes!

3

u/God_Bless_A_Merkin 20d ago

I wish I could upvote your comment more than once! If I had an award to grant, I’d give you one. Here is my poor substitute:

🥇

2

u/iconocrastinaor 20d ago

Quidditch's quiddity is its quirkiness!

1

u/VividPeach358 17d ago

reminds me of the concept of "sine qua non." Though I suppose one's sine qua non can be something external to oneself, whereas one's quiddity must be internal. But both refer to something essential without which a particular person/thing "is not."

-14

u/Total_Ad1473 21d ago

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.langblitz

try this app for many such words

4

u/Happy-Estimate-7855 21d ago

This isn't a judgement, I just want to be clear. Is this an 'ad' for something you made? It's neat regardless, I just want to know.

-1

u/Total_Ad1473 20d ago

Thanks for your note. Like all the members of the group, I share love for words and it was my effort to spread Logophilia around through the app. Didn't mean it to be an ad but as a tool which any interested members could explore!

-1

u/Happy-Estimate-7855 20d ago

Awesome! It didn't feel like an ad or self promotion to me, don't worry. Thats why I was actually curious. I could tell that you just wanted to share the joy!

Good job!

5

u/tenbatsu 20d ago

But it did feel like it, didn't it? You specifically pointed it out.

3

u/Happy-Estimate-7855 20d ago edited 20d ago

To me there's a difference between sharing something you're proud of and think that others will enjoy, versus trying to promote a product you created.

It didn't feel like they were trying to convince us to download it, just a "you might like this" kind of situation.

It's certainly a fine line.

Edit: Just as a point of comparison, I'm building an app for myself. My therapist actually recommended it as a productive use of time, so it is a personal diary/meditation/reminder/etc app. If it ends up actually being useful to me, I'll probably want to share it with others who might be interested. I wouldn't consider that advertising or self-promotion, just sharing something I created.