identity

B1 Topic:People & Society

US /aɪˈdɛn(t)ɪti/ UK /aɪˈdɛntɪti/ See IPA manual

Freq #2718

Meanings

1

noun
Who a person is; the qualities that make someone or something distinct.

After moving abroad, he struggled to keep his sense of identity.
2

noun
The fact of who exactly someone is, often kept secret or needing proof.

The police would not reveal the identity of the witness.
3

noun
An equation that is always true whatever values you put in.

The formula (x+y)(x−y) = x²−y² is an algebraic identity.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · who a person is; the... individualitypersonhoodselfhood

3 noun · an equation that is always... identity function

Word family

Forms identities

Derived forms bioidentitycoidentitycyberidentitye-identityidenticardidenticideidenticonidentitarianidentitylessmisidentitynonidentityself-identity

Related forms identic identical identification identify

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

Etymology

From Middle English ydemptite, from Middle French identité and its etymon Late Latin idemptitās, identitās, from idem (“the same”) + -tās (suffix forming abstract nouns) as a calque of Ancient Greek ταὐτότης (tautótēs, “sameness”).

ydemptite Middle English identité Middle French ταὐτότης Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

External links

# identity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /aɪˈdɛn(t)ɪti/
**IPA (UK):** /aɪˈdɛntɪti/
**Frequency rank:** 2718

## Meanings
1. Who a person is; the qualities that make someone or something distinct.
2. The fact of who exactly someone is, often kept secret or needing proof.
3. An equation that is always true whatever values you put in.

## Examples
- After moving abroad, he struggled to keep his sense of identity.
- The police would not reveal the identity of the witness.
- The formula (x+y)(x−y) = x²−y² is an algebraic identity.

## Derived Forms
- bioidentity
- coidentity
- cyberidentity
- e-identity
- identicard
- identicide
- identicon
- identitarian
- identityless
- misidentity
- nonidentity
- self-identity

## Related Forms
- identic
- identical
- identification
- identify

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ydemptite
- Root: identité
- Root: ταὐτότης

## Etymology
From Middle English ydemptite, from Middle French identité and its etymon Late Latin idemptitās, identitās, from idem (“the same”) + -tās (suffix forming abstract nouns) as a calque of Ancient Greek ταὐτότης (tautótēs, “sameness”).

## AI Etymology
Identity comes from Middle English ydemptite, from Middle French identité and its etymon Late Latin idemptitās, identitās, from idem (“the same”) + -tās (suffix forming abstract nouns) as a calque of Ancient Greek ταὐτότης (tautótēs, “sameness”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. In current use, the main senses are “Who a person is; the qualities that make someone or something distinct” and “The fact of who exactly someone is, often kept secret or needing proof”.

## Topics
- People & Society

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