Exitant

Exitant is a philosophical term used to describe beings that exist externally to the perceiving mind or to a given cognitive frame. The word derives from Latin exitans, from exire “to go out,” and has appeared in scholastic and early modern metaphysics as part of a contrast with immanent beings or ideas.

In ontology, exitant entities are typically understood as having external existence beyond any particular act of perception or mental representation. Immanent beings, by contrast, are thought to exist within the mind, within the intrinsic nature of a thing, or within a specific cognitive or perceptual framework. The distinction between exitant and immanent helps philosophers discuss whether certain entities are truly part of the external world or are confined to internal cognition, language, or conceptual structures. For example, everyday physical objects such as trees or planets are commonly described as exitant, whereas thoughts, sensory ideas, or the perceived properties of objects may be treated as immanent to the cognitive process or to the object's apparent characteristics in perception.

Today the term is largely historical or specialized. In contemporary analytic philosophy, scholars more often speak of external existence or ontological status rather than using exitant as a technical label. The concept remains of interest in discussions of realism, perception, and the nature of being, particularly within historical sources in scholastic and early modern thought.