identity

English

Etymology

FromMiddle Frenchidentité,fromLatinidentitās.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation)IPA^(key):/aɪˈdɛntɪti/
• (General American)IPA^(key):/aɪˈdɛn(t)ɪti/,/aɪˈdɛn(t)əti/,[aɪˈdɛnɪɾi],[aɪˈdɛnəɾi]
• (General Australian)IPA^(key):/ɑɪˈdentəti/

  • Audio(General Australian):

    (file)

• Audio(US):

  (file)

Noun

identity(countableanduncountable,pluralidentities)

1. Sameness,identicalness; the quality or fact of (several specified things) being the same.
   • 1997,“Hydrothermal Vent Fauna”, inAdvances in Marine Biology: The Biogeography of the Oceans,page111:

     […]suggesting the two are different stages of the same species. Theidentityof the two species is further suggested by allozyme analysis[…]

2. Thedifferenceorcharacterthat marks off anindividualorcollectivefrom therestof the same kind;selfhood;the sense of who something or someone or oneself is, or therecurringcharacteristicsthatenabletherecognitionof such anindividualorgroupby others or themselves.

   I've been through so many changes, I have no sense ofidentity.

   This nation has a strongidentity.

   (The addition ofquotationsindicative of this usage is being sought:)

3. Anameorpersona—a mask or appearance one presents to the world—by which one is known.

   This criminal has taken on severalidentities.

   In this show, the competitor'sidentitywill remain secret until after the vote.

4. (mathematics)Anequationwhich always holds true regardless of the choice of inputvariables.

   The equation (x+y)(x−y) = x²−y²is an algebraicidentity.It is true regardless of the values of x and y.

5. (algebra,computing)Anyfunctionwhichmapsall elements of itsdomainto themselves.
6. (algebra)An element of an algebraic structure which, when applied to another element under an operation in that structure, yields this second element.

   Zero is theidentityfor the addition of real numbers.

7. (Australia,New Zealand)Awell-knownorfamousperson.
   • 1887 July 19,“Drowned at Williamstown”, inThe Age‎^[1],Melbourne:

     The body of a well known oldidentitynamed James Conroy […] was found in the water yesterday afternoon…

   • 2013April 4, “Cricketidentitiesconsult lawyers”,inNew Zealand Herald:
   • 2016January 13, “Kings Crossidentitiesarrested in connection with murder”,inThe Sydney Morning Herald:

Synonyms

• (sameness):See alsoThesaurus:sameness
• (difference that marks off an individual):individuality,selfhood;see alsoThesaurus:selfhood
• (mathematical function):identity function
• (famous person):celebrity,personality

Hyponyms

• additive identity
• gender identity
• left identity
• mistaken identity
• multiplicative identity
• personal identity
• principal identity
• quasiidentity
• right identity
• sexual identity
• superidentity

Derived terms

• Abel-Jacobi-Liouville identity
• Abel's identity
• age identity
• amputee identity disorder
• Bézout's identity
• body integrity identity disorder
• Capelli's identity
• cultural identity
• de Moivre's identity
• dissociative identity disorder
• e-identity
• Euler's identity
• gender identity disorder
• gender identity syndrome
• identicide
• identity broker
• identity card
• identity crisis
• identity document
• identity functor
• identity matrix
• identity morphism
• identity of indiscernibles
• identity parade
• identity police
• identity policing
• identity politician
• identity politics
• identity property
• identity provider
• identity restoration
• identity theft
• Jacobi identity
• law of identity
• Pythagorean trigonometric identity
• self-identity
• standard of identity
• steal someone's identity
• trig identity
• trigonometric identity

Related terms

Terms etymologically related to "identity"

• identic
• identical
• identification
• identify

Translations

the sameness some individuals share to make up the same kind or universal

• Afrikaans:identiteit
• Albanian:identitetitm
• Arabic:مُطَابَقَةf(muṭābaqa)
• Armenian:ինքնություն(hy)(inkʻnutʻyun),նույնականություն(hy)(nuynakanutʻyun)
• Bashkir:үҙаң(üźañ)
• Belarusian:тоеса́масцьf(tojesámascʹ),тожса́масцьf(tožsámascʹ),то́еснасцьf(tójesnascʹ),ідэнты́чнасцьf(identýčnascʹ)
• Bulgarian:една́квост(bg)f(ednákvost),тъжде́ственост(bg)f(tǎždéstvenost),иденти́чност(bg)f(identíčnost)
• Catalan:identitat(ca)f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Cá tính／Cá tính(zh)(gèxìng),Thân phận(zh)(shēnfen),Thân phận(zh)(shēnfen)

• Czech:totožnost(cs)f,identita(cs)f
• Danish:identitetc
• Dutch:identiteit(nl)f
• Finnish:yhtäläisyys(fi),samuus(fi),identtisyys(fi),identiteetti(fi)
• French:identité(fr)f
• Galician:identidade(gl)f
• Georgian:იდენტურობა(idenṭuroba)
• German:Identität(de)f,Gleichheit(de)f,Übereinstimmung(de)
• Greek:ταυτότητα(el)f(taftótita)
• Hebrew:זֶהוּת(he)f(zehút)
• Hungarian:azonosság(hu)
• Irish:ionannasm
• Italian:identità(it)
• Japanese:Cùng(ja)(どういつ, dōitsu)
• Korean:동일( cùng )함(ko)(dong'ilham),동일성( cùng tính )(dong'ilseong)
• Latvian:tāpatībaf
• Macedonian:идентите́тm(identitét)
• Maltese:identitàf
• Maori:tuakiri
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål:identitetm

  Nynorsk:identitetm

• Persian:

  Iranian Persian:هُوِیَت(phát)(hoviyat)

• Polish:tożsamość(pl)f
• Portuguese:identidade(pt)f
• Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi:ਪਛਾਣ(pa)f(pachāṇ)

  Shahmukhi:پَچھاݨf(pachāṇ)

• Romanian:identitate(ro)f
• Russian:тожде́ственность(ru)f(toždéstvennostʹ),иденти́чность(ru)f(idɛntíčnostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic:ionannachdf
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic:идентѝте̄тm

  Roman:identìtēt(sh)m

• Slovak:totožnosťf,identitaf
• Slovene:identitetaf
• Spanish:identidad(es)f
• Swedish:identitet(sv)c
• Tagalog:kasiyangaan,pagkakakilanlan
• Thai:เอกลักษณ์(th)(èek-gà-lák)
• Ukrainian:іденти́чність(uk)f(identýčnistʹ),тото́жністьf(totóžnistʹ)
• Urdu:پَہْچانf(pahcān)
• Vietnamese:tính đồng nhất

the difference or character that marks off an individual or group from the rest

• Afrikaans:persoonlikheid
• Arabic:هُوِيَّةf(huwiyya)

  South Levantine Arabic:هويَّةf(hawiye)

• Armenian:please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani:kimlik
• Bashkir:үҙаң(üźañ)
• Basque:nortasuna
• Bulgarian:индивидуа́лност(bg)f(individuálnost)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Cùng tính(zh)(tóngyīxìng),Cá tính／Cá tính(zh)(gèxìng),Đặc tính(zh)(tèxìng),Thân phận(zh)(shēnfen),Thân phận(zh)(shēnfèn)

• Czech:identita(cs)f,totožnost(cs)f
• Danish:identitetc
• Dutch:persoonlijkheid(nl)
• Finnish:yksilöys(fi),yksilöllisyys(fi),identiteetti(fi),olemus(fi)
• French:identité(fr)f
• Galician:identidade(gl)f
• Georgian:ვინაობა(vinaoba)
• German:Identität(de)f
• Greek:ταυτότητα(el)f(taftótita)
• Hebrew:זֶהוּת(he)f(zehút)
• Hungarian:személyazonosság(hu),kilét(hu),önazonosság(hu)(of oneself),hovatartozás(hu),mibenlét(hu)
• Japanese:Thân nguyên(ja)(みもと, mimoto),Cùng tính(ja)(どういつせい, dōitsusei),アイデンティティ(ja)(aidentiti),アイデンティティー(ja)(aitentitī),Chủ thể tính(しゅたいせい, shutaisei)
• Korean:정체성( chữ chân phương tính )(ko)(jeongcheseong)
• Latvian:identitātef
• Maltese:identitàf
• Maori:tuakiri
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål:identitetm

  Nynorsk:identitetm

• Persian:

  Iranian Persian:هُوِیَت(phát)(hoviyat)

• Polish:tożsamość(pl)f
• Portuguese:identidade(pt)f
• Russian:иденти́чность(ru)f(idɛntíčnostʹ),индивидуа́льность(ru)f(individuálʹnostʹ),ли́чность(ru)f(líčnostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic:dearbh-aithnef
• Spanish:identidad(es)f
• Swedish:identitet(sv)
• Tagalog:kasiyangaan,pagkakakilanlan
• Thai:เอกลักษณ์(th)(èek-gà-lák)
• Turkish:hüviyyet(tr)
• Ukrainian:особи́стість(uk)f(osobýstistʹ),індивідуа́льністьf(indyviduálʹnistʹ)
• Vietnamese:cá tính(vi)(referring to personality),đặc tính(vi)

name or persona

• Afrikaans:identiteit
• Arabic:هُوِيَّةf(huwiyya)

  South Levantine Arabic:هويَّةf(hawiye)

• Armenian:please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian:самоли́чност(bg)f(samolíčnost)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Thân phận(zh)(shēnfen),Thân phận(zh)(shēnfen)

• Czech:totožnost(cs)f,identita(cs)f
• Danish:identitetc
• Dutch:identiteit(nl)f
• Finnish:henkilöllisyys(fi)
• French:identité(fr)f
• Galician:identidade(gl)f
• German:Identität(de)f
• Greek:ταυτότητα(el)f(taftótita)
• Hebrew:פַּרְצוּף(he)m(partsúf)
• Hungarian:személyiség(hu),identitás(hu)
• Japanese:Thị danh(ja)(しめい, shimei),Tố tính(ja)(すじょう, sujō)
• Korean:정체( chữ chân phương )(ko)(jeongche)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål:identitetm

  Nynorsk:identitetm

• Polish:tożsamość(pl)f
• Portuguese:identidade(pt)f
• Romanian:identitate(ro)f
• Russian:ли́чность(ru)f(líčnostʹ),ли́чные да́нныеnpl(líčnyje dánnyje)

a mathematical equation that holds true irrespective of input elements.

• Bulgarian:тъждество́(bg)n(tǎždestvó)
• Hungarian:azonosság(hu)
• Maori:tūmau
• Spanish:identidad(es)f

algebra: function—seeidentity function

algebra: element—seeidentity element

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Albanian:^{(pleaseverify)}identitet(sq)
• Estonian:^{(pleaseverify)}identiteet
• Italian:^{(pleaseverify)}identità(it)f
• Korean:^{(pleaseverify)}신원( thân nguyên )(ko)(sinwon)
• Latin:^{(pleaseverify)}identitasf,(genitive)^{(pleaseverify)}identitatis
• Persian:

  Iranian Persian:^{(pleaseverify)}بَرابَری(phát)(barâbari),^{(pleaseverify)}هَمانی(phát)(hamâni),^{(pleaseverify)}شِناسایی(phát)(šenâsâyi)

• Romanian:^{(pleaseverify)}identitate(ro)f
• Slovak:^{(pleaseverify)}identitaf
• Swedish:^{(pleaseverify)}identitet(sv)c
• Turkish:^{(pleaseverify)}kimlik(tr)

References

• “identity”,inOneLook Dictionary Search.
• identity inKeywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary,edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• “identity”,inThe Century Dictionary[…],New York, N.Y.:The Century Co.,1911,→OCLC.
• “identity”,inWebster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary,Springfield, Mass.:G. & C. Merriam,1913,→OCLC.