Existence

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɛɡˈzɪs.təns/

Definitions

1. The state or fact of being real, alive, or present in the universe rather than imaginary or nonexistent
2. The condition of being alive, real, or active in the world, as opposed to being fictional or absent
3. The state of having presence or reality in the universe while distinguishing oneself from that which is unreal or nonexistent

Etymology: The Latin verb "exsistere" was built from "ex" ("out") and "sistere" ("to set, place"), so its original picture was of something that has stepped out or been set forth into view. That physical image survives in its cousin "stare", meaning "to stand", and the same root lies behind the idea of a thing standing up in the world rather than lying hidden. Late Latin turned the verb into the noun "existentia", which passed through Old French into Middle English. English already had a native word for the idea, "understandennes", literally "understanden-ness", but the Latinate form replaced it. The modern word is therefore a fairly transparent build: "exist" plus the noun ending "-ence", which turns a verb of action into a noun for the state it names.

Synonyms: life, being, presence

Antonyms: nonexistence, nothingness