quiddity

Every day I get an email from the dictionary with a different word. Usually I read and the delete the words because most are obscure and would be difficult to remember and ridiculous to use in everyday conversation. But sometimes words come along that make me think, or make me happy, or that I just want to remember and share.

Here’s one: quiddity. It’s crazy to me that one word can mean two things so completely opposite from each other. Meaning one is whatever makes something the type that it is: essence and number two is a trifling point. How everything and nothing can be contained in the same word is beyond me, but it’s kind of a satisfying and disturbing thought.