Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Individual

Inˊdi-vid′u-al

(?; 135)
,
Adj.
[L.
individuus
indivisible; pref.
in-
not +
dividuus
divisible, fr.
dividere
to divide: cf. F.
individuel
. See
Divide
.]
1.
Not divided, or not to be divided; existing as one entity, or distinct being or object; single; one;
as, an
individual
man, animal, or city
.
Mind has a being of its own, distinct from that of all other things, and is pure, unmingled,
individual
substance.
A. Tucker.
United as one
individual
soul.
Milton.
2.
Of or pertaining to one only; peculiar to, or characteristic of, a single person or thing; distinctive;
as,
individual
traits of character;
individual
exertions;
individual
peculiarities.

Inˊdi-vid′u-al

,
Noun.
1.
A single person, animal, or thing of any kind; a thing or being incapable of separation or division, without losing its identity; especially, a human being; a person.
Cowper.
An object which is in the strict and primary sense one, and can not be logically divided, is called an
individual
.
Whately.
That
individuals
die, his will ordains.
Dryden.
2.
(Zool.)
(a)
An independent, or partially independent, zooid of a compound animal.
(b)
The product of a single egg, whether it remains a single animal or becomes compound by budding or fission.
1.
The quality of being individual; individuality; personality.
2.
An excessive or exclusive regard to one’s personal interest; self-interest; selfishness.
The selfishness of the small proprietor has been described by the best writers as
individualism
.
Ed. Rev.

Webster 1828 Edition

Individual

INDIVID'UAL

, . [L. individuus; in and dividuus, from divido, to divide.]
1.
Not divided, or not to be divided; single; one; as an individual man or city.
--Under his great vicegerent reign abide
United, as one individual soul.
2.
Pertaining to one only; as individual labor or exertions.

INDIVID'UAL

,
Noun.
A single person or human being. This is the common application of the word; as,there was not an individual present.
1.
A single animal or thing of any kind. But this word, as a noun, is rarely applied except to human beings.

Definition 2024

individual

individual

English

Alternative forms

Noun

individual ‎(plural individuals)

  1. A person considered alone, rather than as belonging to a group of people.
    He is an unusual individual.‎
  2. (law) A single physical human being as a legal subject, as opposed to a legal person such as a corporation.
    • 1982, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:
      Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination […].
  3. An object, be it a thing or an agent, as contrasted to a class.
    • 2006, Steven French, “Identity and Individuality in Quantum Theory”, in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
      It is typically held that chairs, trees, rocks, people and many of the so-called ‘everyday’ objects we encounter can be regarded as individuals.
    • 2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
      In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.
  4. (statistics) An element belonging to a population.

Translations

Adjective

individual ‎(comparative more individual, superlative most individual)

  1. Relating to a single person or thing as opposed to more than one.
    • 2013 June 1, “End of the peer show”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 71:
      Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.
    As we can't print them all together, the individual pages will have to be printed one by one.‎
  2. Intended for a single person as opposed to more than one person.
    individual personal pension; individual cream cakes‎

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related terms

Translations

External links

  • individual in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • individual in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: silent · takes · honour · #806: individual · girls · wall · cry

Catalan

Noun

individual m, f ‎(masculine and feminine plural individuals)

  1. individual

Related terms

Derived terms

External links

Galician

Adjective

individual m, f (plural individuais)

  1. individual

Related terms

Derived terms

External links

Portuguese

Adjective

individual m, f ‎(plural individuais, comparable)

  1. individual

Spanish

Adjective

individual m, f ‎(plural individuales)

  1. individual

Related terms

Derived terms

Noun

individual m ‎(plural individuales)

  1. place mat

External links

Etymology

From Medieval Latin individualis, from Latin individuum ‎(“an indivisible thing”), neuter of individuus ‎(“indivisible, undivided”), from in + dividuus ‎(“divisible”), from divido ‎(“divide”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒuəl/

Similar Results