Esse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The essential nature or existence of something that defines its being
2. The fundamental aspect that constitutes the identity or essence of an entity
3. The intrinsic quality that represents the true nature or core of a subject

Etymology: The Latin infinitive "esse" simply means "to be," and English borrowed it as a philosophical term for the core nature of a thing, the set of qualities without which it would not be what it is. Scholastic philosophers, drawing on Latin texts, used the word to distinguish a thing's existence from its essence, and English adopted it in that technical sense. The word has stayed largely confined to philosophy and theology, where it often appears in phrases such as "esse est percipi" (to be is to be perceived), a formulation associated with George Berkeley. Its everyday English relatives, "essence" and "essential," come from the same Latin verb through a different route, which explains why the bare form "esse" feels so much more specialized than its cousins.

Synonyms: essence, being, existence

Antonyms: nonexistence, nothingness