entity

Where does the word "entity" come from? It comes from Medieval Latin entitas, and was adopted directly into English (1590s).

Entity’s story begins in Medieval Latin: entitas meant “being.” From 'ens', being, present participle of 'esse', to be. It reached English by 1590s as entity. Coined by medieval Scholastic philosophers translating Aristotle, who needed a noun for 'being' that classical Latin lacked. Today, entity means a thing with distinct existence.

1. Stage 1 · Medieval Latin · medieval entitas "being", from 'ens', being, present participle of 'esse', to be.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1590s entity "existence", coined by medieval Scholastic philosophers translating Aristotle, who needed a noun for 'being' that classical Latin lacked.