identiques

Identiques is the plural masculine form of the French adjective identique, which means identical or the same in all relevant respects. The feminine form is identique as well, and the plural form identiques covers both masculine and feminine nouns. The word comes from Latin identicus, itself related to idem “the same.”

In everyday French usage, identiques describes things that are indistinguishable in appearance or properties, as in deux pièces identiques (two identical pieces) or des objets identiques sous certains critères (objects identical under certain criteria). It can also appear in abstract or technical contexts to signal sameness within a given framework, such as when comparing results or configurations.

In linguistic and philosophical contexts, identique relates to the notion of identity or sameness. The related noun identité denotes the concept of identity itself, while identique acts as an adjectival predicate. An adverb form, identiquement, describes actions or comparisons performed in an identical manner.

In mathematics and logic, the idea of identity is central, though the usual discourse centers on identity, equality, or the identity relation rather than the adjective identique itself. When French mathematical texts use identique, they typically refer to identical objects or states within a structure, but more formal terminology like égalité or relation d’identité is common.

For English speakers, identique is generally translated as identical, and identiques as identical (or “identical”), depending on grammatical context.

See also: identique, identité, égalité, similarité.