Identity

English Meaning

The state or quality of being identical, or the same; sameness.

1. The collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known: "If the broadcast group is the financial guts of the company, the news division is its public identity” ( Bill Powell).
2. The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.
3. The quality or condition of being the same as something else.
4. The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; individuality.
5. Information, such as an identification number, used to establish or prove a person's individuality, as in providing access to a credit account.
6. Mathematics An equation that is satisfied by any number that replaces the letter for which the equation is defined.
7. Mathematics Identity element.