Entitative

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈen.tɪ.teɪ.tɪv/

Definitions

1. Concerning something that has a clear and separate existence or identity, identifying a distinct entity within a given context or category
2. Pertaining to an individual that can be recognized as having an independent existence or identity, often in philosophical discussions
3. Relating to something that stands out as a separate and identifiable unit within a bigger whole

Etymology: Entitative is a plain technical formation, built in English from "entity" and the suffix "-ative," and its history is best understood by looking at each part. "Entity" traces back through Medieval Latin "entitas," a coinage formed from "ens," the Latin present participle of "esse" ("to be"), itself an offshoot of the ancient verb "sum" ("I am"). Medieval philosophers used the Latin word to name the bare fact of existing, so an entity is literally a thing that is. The suffix "-ative" arrived through a longer chain: the Latin "-ativus" passed into Old French as "-atif" and then into Middle English, where "-ative" settled in as a way of forming adjectives meaning "tending toward" or "having the character of." Joining it to "entity" produced a word meaning, roughly, "relating to an entity as a distinct, existing thing." The adjective is most at home in philosophy and formal writing, where it helps separate a thing's identity from its properties or relations.