sb. Pl. entia. [Late L. ēns; a neuter pr. pple. formed from L. esse to be, on the supposed analogy of the compds. absēns, potēns, etc.]
1. Philos. a. Something that has existence; a ‘being,’ entity, as opposed to an attribute, quality, etc.
1614. T. Adams, in Spurgeon, Treas. Dav., Ps. ciii. 19. Eternity is properly the duration of an uncreated Ens.
1650. Bulwer, Anthropomet., 71. An Ens is such naturally, that it should act or suffer something.
1677. Hale, Prim. Orig. Man., 323. Men have needlesly, and without sufficient evidence multiplied Entia.
1678. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, III. 113. For it’s necessary that every Ens or Being be derived from the first Being.
b. An entity regarded apart from any predicate but that of mere existence. Also, the predicable ‘ens’ regarded as an abstract notion.
1581. Sidney, Apol. Poet. (Arb.), 55. The quiddity of Ens.
[1628. Milton, Vacation Exerc. Ens is represented as father of the Predicaments.]
1791. E. Darwin, Bot. Gard., I. 41. Ens without weight, and substance without shade.
1870. Bowen, Logic, iv. 90. I cannot see why ens is not thinkable.
† 2. = ESSENCE. Obs.
1649. J. E., trans. Behmen’s Ep., 9. The dark fiery soule conceiveth the Ens and Essence of the Divine light in her selfe.
1730. Phil. Trans., XXXVI. 288. It is the very Ens, or Being most pure of Flame.
† b. Alch. (See quots.) Obs.
1662. R. Mathew, Unl. Alch., § 109. 190. Weigh its weight of fresh Ens well ground together.
1683. Salmon, Doron Med., I. 327. Reduce the Mercury of the Vulgar into its first liquid Ens.
1715. Kersey, Ens Primum, the most efficacious Part of any natural Mixt Body. Ens Veneris, sublimation of equal Parts of the calcin’d Powder or Cyprus Vitriol, and of Sal Armoniack.
1721–1800. in Bailey; and in mod. Dicts.
Ens, var. of ENES adv. Obs. once.
