Etymograph

English

identity

Identity comes from Middle English ydemptite, from Middle French identité and Late Latin idemptitās, from idem ‘the same’, modelled on Greek ταὐτότης.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEidem1‘the same’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEidemptitās1
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600identité1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ydemptite1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1664identity1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English identity
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1664, Henry More, London: […] James Flesher: “But whenas a leſſer number of Agreements in each…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEidemWiktionary, English identity‘the same’
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEidemptitāsWiktionary, English identity
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600identitéWiktionary, English identity
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ydemptiteWiktionary, English identity
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1664identityWiktionary, English identity. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1664, Henry More, London: […] James Flesher: “But whenas a leſſer number of Agreements in each…”

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Today it means

noun Sameness, identicalness; the quality or fact of (several specified things) being the same.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “identity”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin idem / identity