English edit

Etymology edit

Calque of German Seiendheit, equivalent to English being +‎ -ness. Occasionally also used to translate German Sein (being).

Noun edit

beingness (usually uncountable, plural beingnesses)

  1. Existence; the condition of a thing that is.
    • 1865, James Hutchison Stirling, The Secret of Hegel[1], page 263:
      Thus, from every example, we may see that Quantity always concerns a Beingness, which is indifferent to the very determinateness which it now, or at any time, has.
    • 1988, Leo Strauss, What is Political Philosophy?[2], →ISBN, page 253:
      In the good painting the stone is no longer a stone, i.e., something which we could not possibly be: in the good painting the stone has become visible in its beingness; only in the work of art is the stone truly.
    • 2004, Richard H. Jones, Mysticism and Morality: A New Look at Old Questions[3], →ISBN, page 391:
      The two approaches remain distinct ways of knowing: mystics are interested in the changeless beingness outside of time, while scientists are only interested in understanding the causes of the changes within the world of time.

Usage notes edit

This word is often found in Scientology texts.

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

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