whatness

W4H4A1T1N1E1S1S1

noun

Essence; quiddity.

“See also Thesaurus:essence.”

Similar
naturequintessence
Scrabble 14
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounwhatness (plural whatnesses)

plural whatnesses

  1. human sciencesEssence; quiddity.

    See also Thesaurus:essence.

    Synonyms: nature, quintessence

  2. Quality; quantity.

    For in one sense whatness signifies substance and this particular thing, and in another sense it signifies each of the other categories, such as quantity, quality and the like.

    1961, Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Metaphysics of Aristotle: Volume 2

Synonyms & antonyms

nounEssence; quiddity.

Similar
naturequintessence
Also see
characteristicdistinctivenessessencefeaturegravamenowndomparameterproprietyquiddityracetouch

Origin

From what + -ness. First attested in 1611.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

whatness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whatness

MLA

“whatness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whatness. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “whatness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whatness.

Source: whatness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.