eidos

noun

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ei·dos | \ ˈīˌdäs, ˈāˌ- \

plural eide\ ˈīˌdē , ˈāˌdā \

Definition of eidos

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