a. Metaph. [ad. med. L. entitātīvus, f. entitāt-em: see ENTITY.]
1. Pertaining to the mere existence of anything. Entitative act: transl. L. actus entitātīvus, a term used by the Scotists to denote ‘material’ as opposed to ‘formal’ or ‘quiditative’ actuality.
The word act in this phrase has its scholastic sense, ‘that which differentiates an “actual” from a “potential” existence.’ Duns Scotus, differing from Aquinas, recognized two kinds of ‘act,’ i.e., two senses or degrees in which a thing might be said to have ‘actual’ existence: in one sense it is ‘actual’ if it simply possesses the ‘matter’ by virtue of which it has any existence other than merely potential; in the other sense, it is actual only when it possesses the ‘form’ which gives it specific existence. Hence in the language of his disciples the entitative act is the ‘matter’ of an actually existing thing, while the formal act is its ‘form’; or, more accurately, they denote the possession of ‘matter’ and ‘form,’ respectively.
[a. 1308. Duns Scotus, Sent. XI. iii. § 11. Uno modo actus est differentia entis opposita potentiæ … Alio modo actus dicit habitudinem illam quam dicit forma ad informabile et ad totum cujus est.
1520. Lychetus, Comm. on Duns Scotus’ Sent. II. xii. § 19. Sicut forma est actus formalis quia potest informare per receptionem ipsius, ita etiam materia est actus entitativus.]
c. 1600. Timon, IV. iii. (1842), 66. Whether there be a man in the moone … which may have there really and intrinsecally an entitative acte and essence, besides a formall existence.
1628. Bp. Hall, Old Relig., 49. The bold Schooles dare say that the naturall and entitatiue value of the Workes of Christ was finite, though the morall value was infinite.
c. 1630. Jackson, Creed, VI. xi. Wks. VI. 116. There is more entitative goodness in being a man than in being a lion.
1743. J. Ellis, Knowl. Div. Things, iv. 289. Whether … the entitative material act of sin be physically or morally good?
2. Of the nature of an entity; having real existence.
1862. F. Hall, Hindu Philos. Syst., 271–2. When a man mistakes a rope for a snake,… the man’s misconception, which is entitative, is the cause of his fear.
Hence Entitatively adv., in an entitative manner; as a mere existence.
1677. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, III. 55. The whole act considered entitatively and naturally.
1696. Lorimer, Goodwin’s Disc., vii. 135. There cannot be a Conditional Will in God, that is … subjectively, or entitatively Conditional.
1738. Chambers, Cycl., s.v., Peter, entitatively taken, is Peter, as a thing, a substance, a man, &c. without any regard to his being a lord, a husband, learned, &c.
1818. in Todd; and in mod. Dicts.
