One who is an esse or essence; in philosophy, an entity considered in terms of its being or essential nature.
From esse (Latin for 'to be') + -ee (suffix meaning 'one who is' or 'recipient of an action'). This philosophical term emerged in medieval scholastic writing.
Medieval philosophers created -ee words long before we had 'employee' or 'referee'—they were experimenting with Latin + Old French grammar to describe abstract concepts!
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