I*den"ti*ty (?), n.; pl. Identities (#). [F. identit'e, LL. identitas, fr. L. idem the same, from the root of is he, that; cf. Skr. idam this. Cf. Item.]
1.
The state or quality of being identical, or the same; sameness.
Identity is a relation between our cognitions of a thing, not between things themselves.
Sir W. Hamilton.
2.
The condition of being the same with something described or asserted, or of possessing a character claimed; as, to establish the identity of stolen goods.
3. Math.
An identical equation.
© Webster 1913.