from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Quiddity \Quid"di*ty\, n.; pl. {Quiddities}. [LL. quidditas, fr.
L. quid what, neut. of quis who, akin to E. who: cf. F.
quiddit['e].]
1. The essence, nature, or distinctive peculiarity, of a
thing; that which answers the question, Quid est? or, What
is it? " The degree of nullity and quiddity." --Bacon.
[1913 Webster]
The quiddity or characteristic difference of poetry
as distinguished from prose. --De Quincey.
[1913 Webster]
2. A trifling nicety; a cavil; a quibble.
[1913 Webster]
We laugh at the quiddities of those writers now.
--Coleridge.
[1913 Webster]