from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Identity \I*den"ti*ty\, n.; pl. {Identities}. [F. identit['e],
LL. identitas, fr. L. idem the same, from the root of is he,
that; cf. Skr. idam this. Cf. {Item}.]
1. The state or quality of being identical, or the same;
sameness.
[1913 Webster]
Identity is a relation between our cognitions of a
thing, not between things themselves. --Sir W.
Hamilton.
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2. The condition of being the same with something described
or asserted, or of possessing a character claimed; as, to
establish the identity of stolen goods.
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3. (Math.) An identical equation.
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