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identity

the fact of being who or what a person or thing is

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Where does the word "identity" come from? It comes from Late Latin identitas, and was adopted directly into English (1560s).

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Where does the word "identity" come from? It comes from Late Latin identitas, and was adopted directly into English (1560s).

Identity’s story begins in Late Latin: identitas meant “sameness.” Coined by philosophers from idem 'the same', probably on the model of entitas 'being'. It reached English by 1560s as identity. Came via Middle French identité; John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1694 edition) added a famous chapter 'Of Identity and Diversity', and Britain issued identity cards from 1939 to 1952. Today, identity means the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.

  1. Stage 1 · Late Latin · late antiquity identitas "sameness", coined by philosophers from idem 'the same', probably on the model of entitas 'being'.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1560s identity "who someone is", came via Middle French identité; John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1694 edition) added a famous chapter 'Of Identity and Diversity', and Britain issued identity cards from 1939 to 1952.

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