unity
/ˈjunɪti/ noun C1- Oneness: the state or fact of being one undivided entity. · Near-synonyms: unification, unionization, integration
- Agreement; harmony.
- A single undivided thing, seen as complete in itself.
- Any of the three classical rules of drama: unity of action (nothing should be admitted not directly relevant to the development of the plot), unity of place (the scenes should be set in the same place), and unity of time (all the events should be such as might happen within a single day).
- The number 1 or any element of a set or field that behaves under a given operation as the number 1 behaves under multiplication. · the cube roots of unity
- The peculiar characteristics of an estate held by several in joint tenancy.
- The form of consensus in a Quaker meeting for business which signals that a decision has been reached. In order to achieve unity, everyone who does not agree with the decision must explicitly stand aside, possibly being recorded in the minutes as doing so.
Plural unities
From the library
“I resolved to set out, and did set out at that very instant, carrying with me the beginning of my great work, the unity of the Italian kingdom; but for some time the imperial police (who at this period, quite contrary to what Napoleon desired so soon as he had a son born to him, wished for a partition of provinces) had their eyes on me; and my hasty departure, the cause of which they were unable to guess, having aroused their suspicions, I was arrested at the very moment I was leaving Piombino.
By reforming the spelling system, he hoped to foster a sense of unity and intellectual independence among the American people.
Learn unity in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.