existential
Meanings
- Of or relating to existence.
- Concerning the very existence of something, especially with regard to evading extinction.
- Of an assertion, etc.: assuming or suggesting the existence of something.
- Of or relating to existentialism (“a philosophical movement emphasizing the uniqueness of each human existence in freely making its self-defining choices”).
- Relating to part of a clause that indicates existence (for example, there is).
- Ellipsis of existential clause (“a clause that indicates the existence of something”).
- Ellipsis of existential type (“in a type system: a type that hides the underlying concrete type(s)”).
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
The adjective is a learned borrowing from Late Latin existentialis, exsistentialis (“coming into or relating to existence”) + English -al (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives; and forming nouns of verbal action). Existentialis, exsistentialis are derived from Late Latin existentia, exsistentia (“existence”) + Latin -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship); and existentia, exsistentia from Latin existēns, exsistēns (“being, existing; appearing, emerging; becoming”) (the present active participle of existō, exsistō (“to be, exist; to appear, emerge; to become”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + sistō (“to cause to stand; to place, set; to halt, stop”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”))) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). The noun is derived from the adjective.