identity

English

Etymology

Middle French identité, from Latin idem (“the same”). See identical and idem.

Pronunciation

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

  • Audio (AU)

    (file)

Noun

identity (countable and uncountable, plural identities)

1. Sameness, identicalness; the quality or fact of (several specified things) being the same.
   • 1997, “Hydrothermal Vent Fauna”, in Advances in Marine Biology: The Biogeography of the Oceans, page 111:

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

2. The difference or character that marks off an individual or collective from the rest of the same kind; selfhood; the sense of who something or someone or oneself is, or the recurring characteristics that enable the recognition of such an individual or group by others or themselves.

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

   This nation has a strong identity.

   (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

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

   This criminal has taken on several identities.

   In this show, the competitor's identity will remain secret until after the vote.

4. (mathematics) An equation which always holds true regardless of the choice of input variables.

   The equation (x+y)(x−y) = x²−y² is an algebraic identity. It is true regardless of the values of x and y.

5. (algebra, computing) Any function which maps all elements of its domain to 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 the identity for the addition of real numbers.

7. (Australia, New Zealand) A well-known or famous person.
   • 1887 July 19, “Drowned at Williamstown”, in The Age‎^[1], Melbourne:

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

   • 2013 April 4, “Cricket identities consult lawyers”, in New Zealand Herald:

   • 2016 January 13, “Kings Cross identities arrested in connection with murder”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:

Synonyms

• (sameness): See also Thesaurus:sameness
• (difference that marks off an individual): individuality, selfhood; see also Thesaurus: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
• superidentity

 

Derived terms

• 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
• identity card
• identity crisis
• identity document
• identity functor
• identity matrix
• identity morphism
• identity of indiscernibles
• identity parade
• identity police
• identity politician
• identity politics
• identity politics
• identity property
• 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
• Arabic: مُطَابَقَة‎ f (muṭābaqa)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Bashkir: үҙаң (üðaŋ)
• Bulgarian: еднаквост (bg) f (ednakvost)
• Catalan: identitat (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 個性／个性 (zh) (gèxìng), 身分 (zh) (shēnfen), 身份 (zh) (shēnfen)

• Czech: totožnost f, identita (cs) f
• Dutch: identiteit (nl) f
• Finnish: yhtäläisyys (fi), samuus (fi), identtisyys (fi), identiteetti (fi)
• French: identité (fr) f
• Galician: identidade (gl) f
• German: Identität (de) f, Gleichheit (de) f, Übereinstimmung (de)
• Greek: ταυτότητα (el) f (taftótita)
• Hebrew: זהות‎ (he) f
• Hungarian: azonosság (hu)
• Irish: ionannas m
• Italian: identità (it)
• Japanese: 同一 (ja) (どういつ, dōitsu)
• Korean: 동일(同一)함 (ko) (dong'ilham), 동일성(同一性) (dong'ilseong)
• Latvian: tāpatība f
• Macedonian: идентитет m (identitet)
• Maltese: identità f
• Maori: tuakiri
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: identitet m

  Nynorsk: identitet m

• Polish: tożsamość (pl) f
• Portuguese: identidade (pt) f
• Romanian: identitate (ro) f
• Russian: тожде́ственность (ru) f (toždéstvennostʹ), иденти́чность (ru) f (idɛntíčnostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: ionannachd f
• Spanish: identidad (es) f
• Tagalog: kasiyangaan, pagkakakilanlan
• Thai: เอกลักษณ์
• Ukrainian: іденти́чність (uk) (identýčnistʹ), тото́жність (totóžnistʹ)
• Vietnamese: tính đồng nhất

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

• Afrikaans: persoonlikheid
• Arabic: هُوِيَّة‎ f (huwiyya)

  South Levantine Arabic: هويَّة‎ f (hawiye)

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Azerbaijani: kimlik
• Bashkir: үҙаң (üðaŋ)
• Basque: nortasuna
• Bulgarian: индивидуалност (bg) f (individualnost)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 同一性 (zh) (tóngyīxìng), 個性／个性 (zh) (gèxìng), 特性 (zh) (tèxìng), 身分 (zh) (shēnfen), 身份 (zh) (shēnfèn)

• Czech: identita (cs) f, totožnost f
• Danish: identitet c
• 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: זהות‎ (he) m
• Hungarian: személyazonosság (hu), kilét (hu), önazonosság (hu) (of oneself), hovatartozás (hu), mibenlét (hu)
• Japanese: 身元 (ja) (みもと, mimoto), 同一性 (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), 主体性 (しゅたいせい, shutaisei)
• Korean: 정체성(正體性) (ko) (jeongcheseong)
• Latvian: identitāte f
• Maltese: identità f
• Maori: tuakiri
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: identitet m

  Nynorsk: identitet m

• Persian: هویت‎ (fa) (hoviyyat)
• Polish: tożsamość (pl) f
• Portuguese: identidade (pt) f
• Russian: иденти́чность (ru) f (idɛntíčnostʹ), индивидуа́льность (ru) f (individuálʹnostʹ), ли́чность (ru) f (líčnostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: dearbh-aithne f
• Spanish: identidad (es) f
• Swedish: identitet (sv)
• Tagalog: kasiyangaan, pagkakakilanlan
• Thai: เอกลักษณ์
• Turkish: hüviyyet (tr)
• Ukrainian: особи́стість (osobýstistʹ), індивідуа́льність (indyviduálʹnistʹ)
• Vietnamese: cá tính (vi) (referring to personality), đặc tính (vi)

name or persona

• Afrikaans: identiteit
• Arabic: هُوِيَّة‎ f (huwiyya)

  South Levantine Arabic: هويَّة‎ f (hawiye)

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

  Mandarin: 身分 (zh) (shēnfen), 身份 (zh) (shēnfen)

• Czech: totožnost f, identita (cs) f
• Danish: identitet c
• 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: פרצוף‎ (he) m (partsúf)
• Hungarian: személyiség (hu), identitás (hu)
• Japanese: 氏名 (ja) (しめい, shimei), 素性 (ja) (すじょう, sujō)
• Korean: 정체(正體) (ko) (jeongche)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: identitet m

  Nynorsk: identitet m

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

a mathematical equation that holds true irrespective of input elements.

• Bulgarian: тъждество (bg) n (tǎždestvo)
• Hungarian: azonosság (hu)
• Maori: tūmau

algebra: function — see identity function

algebra: element — see identity element

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

Translations to be checked

• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} identitet (sq)
• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} identiteet
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} identità (it) f
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 동일성 (dong'ilseong) (1), ^{(please verify)} 신원 (ko) (sinwon)
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} identitas f, (genitive) ^{(please verify)} identitatis
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} برابری‎ (fa) (barâbari), ^{(please verify)} همانی‎ (fa) (hamâni), ^{(please verify)} شناسایی‎ (fa) (šenâsâyi)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} identitate (ro) f
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} identitet (sh) m
• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} identita f
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} identitet (sv) c
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} kimlik (tr)

References

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