#10: Whatness
Definition:
: the what of a thing
Example:
"The radiance of which he speaks in the scholastic quidditas, the whatness of a thing." – James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, 1916
About the Word:
It should be noted that whatness is not without synonyms: quiddity and haecceity are obscure words meaning much the same thing, and essence likewise carries a very similar meaning.
One of the glories of the English language is that it has room for so many linguistic twins. Sometimes you feel like saying quiddity, and sometimes you feel like saying whatness.
It is always refreshing to find an obscure word that does not require any explanation.
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