Topic investigation for Thurs. Oct. 22th

u⋅ni⋅ty

  [yoo-ni-tee] Show IPA

Use unity in a Sentence

–noun, plural -ties.

1.	the state of being one; oneness.

2.	a whole or totality as combining all its parts into one.

3.	the state or fact of being united or combined into one, as of the parts of a whole; unification.

4.	absence of diversity; unvaried or uniform character.

5.	oneness of mind, feeling, etc., as among a number of persons; concord, harmony, or agreement.

6.	Mathematics. a. the number one; a quantity regarded as one. b. identity (def. 9).

7.	(in literature and art) a relation of all the parts or elements of a work constituting a harmonious whole and producing a single general effect.

8.

one of the three principles of dramatic structure (the three unities) derived from Aristotelian aesthetics and formalized in the neoclassic canon in which a play is required to represent action as taking place in one day (unity of time),as occurring within one place (unity of place), and as having a single plot with a beginning, middle, and end (unity of action).

Origin:
1250–1300; ME unite < class="ital-inline" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.25em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; font-style: italic; ">ūnitās, equiv. to ūn(us) one + -itās-ity

Synonyms:
1. singleness, singularity, individuality. See union. 5. concert, unison.

Antonyms:
1. diversity, variety.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.

u·ni·ty (yōō'nĭ-tē) n. pl. u·ni·ties The state or quality of being one; singleness. The state or quality of being in accord; harmony. The combination or arrangement of parts into a whole; unification. A combination or union thus formed. An ordering of all elements in a work of art or literature so that each contributes to a unified aesthetic effect. The effect thus produced. The number 1. See identity element. Singleness or constancy of purpose or action; continuity: "In an army you need unity of purpose" (Emmeline Pankhurst). An ordering of all elements in a work of art or literature so that each contributes to a unified aesthetic effect. The effect thus produced. The number 1. See identity element. One of the three principles of dramatic structure derived by French neoclassicists from Aristotle's Poetics, stating that a drama should have but one plot, which should take place in a single day and be confined to a single locale. Mathematics The number 1. See identity element. [Middle English unite, from Old French, from Latin ūnitās, fromūnus, one; see oi-no- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.