Essentia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A fundamental principle or element that serves as the essence of something's nature or existence; an intrinsic quality that defines the true character or identity of an object or concept; the core substance or underlying reality that constitutes the essential aspects of a being or idea
2. The intrinsic nature or indispensable quality that determines the character of something; a foundational element that is critical to the understanding of an idea or entity; the inherent substance that embodies the basic principles of existence or identity
3. The essential nature or inherent quality that provides the defining traits of a thing; a core element necessary for the recognition of an object or concept; the fundamental aspect that underscores the true essence of an entity or thought

Etymology: Essentia comes from Latin, where it was a philosophical term coined by Cicero, who formed it from "esse," "to be." He needed a word for the Greek ousia, the being or substance of a thing, and built a Latin abstract noun from the verb rather than borrowing the Greek. The result meant something close to "essence" or "being-ness," the quality that makes a thing what it is. Medieval scholastic philosophers took the term and sharpened it. Essentia was set against existentia, existence, in debates over whether a thing's what-it-is could be separated from the fact that it exists. Thomas Aquinas wrote extensively on this distinction, and it became a standard tool for discussing the nature of God, angels and created things. In English the word appears mainly in philosophical and theological writing, where it keeps this sense of a thing's underlying nature rather than its outward appearance.

Synonyms: essence, substance, core