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identity

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The definition of identity is who you are, the way you think about yourself, the way you are viewed by the world and the characteristics that define you.

(noun)

An example of identity is a person's name .
An example of identity are the traditional characteristics of an American.

See identity in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun pl. identities

the condition or fact of being the same or exactly alike; sameness; oneness: groups united by identity of interests
1. the condition or fact of being a specific person or thing; individuality
2. the characteristics and qualities of a person, considered collectively and regarded as essential to that person's self-awareness
3. the condition of being the same as a person or thing described or claimed
Math. an equation which is true for all permissible sets of values of the variables which appear in it: Ex.: x - y= (x + y) (x - y)

Origin: Fr identité < LL identitas, coined (prob. infl. by LL essentitas, essence) < L idem, the same, akin to Sans idám, the same < IE base *e-, *ei-, he, that > Sans ayám, OIr ē, Goth is, he

See identity in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. i·den·ti·ties

The collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known: “If the broadcast group is the financial guts of the company, the news division is its public identity” (Bill Powell).
The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.
The quality or condition of being the same as something else.
The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; individuality.
Information, such as an identification number, used to establish or prove a person's individuality, as in providing access to a credit account.
Mathematics
a. An equation that is satisfied by any number that replaces the letter for which the equation is defined.
b. Identity element.

Origin:

Origin: French identité

Origin: , from Old French identite

Origin: , from Late Latin identitās

Origin: , from Latin idem, the same (influenced by Late Latin essentitās, being, and identidem, repeatedly)

Origin: , from id, it; see i- in Indo-European roots

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