1. the essential nature or quality that makes something what it is
Usage: philosophical

Examples

• The philosopher pondered the whatness of beauty itself.
• Understanding the whatness of consciousness remains a challenge for scientists.
• Medieval scholars debated the whatness versus the thatness of objects.
• The artist tried to capture the whatness of the landscape in her painting.
• His essay explored the whatness of human identity.
• The whatness of justice has been discussed since ancient times.