eidos

noun

ei·​dos

ˈīˌdäs,

ˈāˌ-

plural eide

ˈīˌdē,

ˈāˌdā

1

: something that is seen or intuited:

a

in Platonism : idea

b in Aristotelianism

(1)

: form, essence

(2)

: species

c

: an appearance, conception, or form of intuition

2

: the cognitive part of cultural structure made up of the criteria of credibility, the logic used in thinking and acting, and the basic ideas by which the members of a culture organize and interpret experience : logical structure

the eidos is visible wherever group behavior is characterized by intellectual efforts of a similar kind

—S. F. Nadel

—contrasted with ethos

Word History

Etymology

Greek, literally, shape, form

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