Ens
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /ɛnz/
Origin 1
From Late Latin Ä“ns ("thing"), from esse ("to be"). See entity.
Full definition of ens
Noun
- (philosophy) An entity or being; an existing thing, as opposed to a quality or attribute.
- 1860, John Henry Macmahon, A treatise on metaphysics: chiefly in reference to revealed religion, page 195:the Nature of the Supreme Ens
- (chemistry, alchemy, now historical) Something supposed to condense within itself all the virtues and qualities of a substance from which it is extracted; an essence, an active principle.
- 2006, Philip Ball, The Devil's Doctor, Arrow 2007, p. 245:Here he states that there are five ‘active principles’ – the five Enses or entia – that influence our bodies and give rise to disease ….
Origin 2
Inflected forms.