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Webster 1913 Edition

Unity

U′ni-ty

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Unities
(#)
.
[OE.
unite
, F.
unité
, L.
unitas
, from
unus
one. See
One
, and cf.
Unit
.]
1.
The state of being one; oneness.
Whatever we can consider as one thing suggests to the understanding the idea of
unity
.
Locks.
☞ Unity is affirmed of a simple substance or indivisible monad, or of several particles or parts so intimately and closely united as to constitute a separate body or thing. See the Synonyms under
Union
.
2.
Concord; harmony; conjunction; agreement; uniformity;
as, a
unity
of proofs;
unity
of doctrine.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity
!
Ps. cxxxiii. 1.
3.
(Math.)
Any definite quantity, or aggregate of quantities or magnitudes taken as one, or for which 1 is made to stand in calculation; thus, in a table of natural sines, the radius of the circle is regarded as unity.
☞ The number 1, when it is not applied to any particular thing, is generally called unity.
4.
(Poetry & Rhet.)
In dramatic composition, one of the principles by which a uniform tenor of story and propriety of representation are preserved; conformity in a composition to these; in oratory, discourse, etc., the due subordination and reference of every part to the development of the leading idea or the eastablishment of the main proposition.
☞ In the Greek drama, the three unities required were those of action, of time, and of place; that is, that there should be but one main plot; that the time supposed should not exceed twenty-four hours; and that the place of the action before the spectators should be one and the same throughout the piece.
5.
(Fine Arts & Mus.)
Such a combination of parts as to constitute a whole, or a kind of symmetry of style and character.
6.
(Law)
The peculiar characteristics of an estate held by several in joint tenancy.
☞ The properties of it are derived from its unity, which is fourfold; unity of interest, unity of title, unity of time, and unity of possession; in other words, joint tenants have one and the same interest, accruing by one and the same conveyance, commencing at the same time, and held by one and the same undivided possession. Unity of possession is also a joint possession of two rights in the same thing by several titles, as when a man, having a lease of land, afterward buys the fee simple, or, having an easement in the land of another, buys the servient estate.
At unity
,
at one.
–
Unity of type
.
(Biol.)
See under
Type
.
Syn. – Union; oneness; junction; concord; harmony. See
Union
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Unity

U'NITY

,
Noun.
[L. unitas.]
1.
The state of being one; oneness. Unity may consist of a simple substance or existing being, as the soul; but usually it consists in a close junction of particles or parts, constituting a body detached from other bodies. Unity is a thing undivided itself, but separate from ever other thing.
2.Concord; conjunction; as a unity of proofs.
3.
Agreement; uniformity; as unity of doctrine; unity of worship in a church.
4.
In christian theology, oneness of sentiment, affection or behavior.
How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Ps. 133.
5.
In mathematics, the abstract expression for any unit whatsoever. The number 1 is unity, when it is not applied to any particular object; but a unit, when it is so applied.
6.
In poetry, the principle by which a uniform tenor of story and propriety of representation is preserved. In the drama, there are three unities; the unity of action, that of time, and that of place. In the epic poem, the great and almost only unity is that of action.
7.
In music, such a combination of parts as to constitute a whole, or a kind of symmetry of style and character.
8.
In law, the properties of a joint estate are derived from its unity, which is fourfold; unity of interest, unity of title, unity of time, and unity of possession; in other words, joint-tenants have one and the same interest, accruing by one and the same conveyance, commencing at the same time, and held by one and the same undivided possession.
9.
In law, unity of possession, is a joint possession of two rights by several titles, as when a man has a lease of land upon a certain rent, and afterwards buys the fee simple. This is a unity of possession, by which the lease is extinguished.
Unity of faith, is an equal belief of the same truths of God, and possession of the grace of faith in like form and degree.
Unity of spirit, is the oneness which subsists between Christ and his saints, by which the same spirit dwells in both, and both have the same disposition and aims; and it is the oneness of christians among themselves, united under the same head, having the same spirit dwelling in them, and possessing the same graces, faith, love, hope, &c.

Definition 2024

Unity

Unity

See also: unity

English

Proper noun

Unity

  1. A female given name.
    • 1996, John H. Waller, The Unseen War in Europe
      Hitler, it seemed, had two engagements in Munich that day; one was a visit with Unity Mitford, a Nazi sympathizer belonging to the well-known British Mitford family, who was recovering in a Munich hospital from an attempted suicide.
  2. A town in Maine
  3. A town in New Hampshire
  4. A city in Oregon
  5. A town in Saskatchewan, Canada
  6. A village and two towns in Wisconsin

Translations

unity

unity

See also: Unity

English

Noun

unity ‎(countable and uncountable, plural unities)

  1. (uncountable) Oneness; the state or fact of being one undivided entity.
    • 1846, E. A. Poe, The Philosophy of Composition
      If any literary work is too long to be read at one sitting, we must be content to dispense with the immensely important effect derivable from unity of impression - for, if two sittings be required, the affairs of the world interfere, and everything like totality is at once destroyed.
    • 2011 October 1, Saj Chowdhury, “Wolverhampton 1 - 2 Newcastle”, in BBC Sport:
      Alan Pardew's current squad has been put together with a relatively low budget but the resolve and unity within the team is priceless.
  2. A single undivided thing, seen as complete in itself.
    • 1999, Joyce Crick, translating Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams, Oxford 2008, p. 137:
      If a single day has brought us two or more experiences suitable to initiate a dream, the dream will unite references to them both into a single whole; it obeys a compulsion to form a unity [transl. Einheit] out of them.
  3. (drama) Any of the three classical rules of drama (unity of action, unity of place, and unity of time).
  4. (mathematics) The number 1 or any element of a set or field that behaves under a given operation as the number 1 behaves under multiplication.
  5. (law) The peculiar characteristics of an estate held by several in joint tenancy.
  6. (Quakerism) The form of consensus in a Quaker meeting for business which signals that a decision has been reached. In order to achieve unity, everyone who does not agree with the decision must explicitly stand aside, possibly being recorded in the minutes as doing so.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Etymology

Majuscule letter version of unity.

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