individuo

Individuo is a term used across disciplines to denote a single, distinguishable unit within a system. Etymologically it comes from Latin individuus, meaning undivided or indivisible. Depending on the context, an individuo may refer to a concrete organism, a person, or any autonomous unit that can be identified as separate from others.

In biology, an individuo is typically a living organism—a plant, animal, or microorganism considered as a single unit of life. In some contexts, especially with clonal organisms, the unit might be a genetically integrated module such as a ramet, but the term is used for analysis of life history, ecology, and population dynamics.

In philosophy, the concept emphasizes individuality and persistence over time. An individual is a concrete particular that bears properties and undergoes change yet is regarded as the same entity across moments. Philosophers debate how identity is preserved, weighing bodily continuity, psychological continuity, or other criteria; prominent positions include endurantism and perdurantism, among others.

In social and legal discourse, individuals are agents endowed with rights and duties. The notion of personhood underpins civil law, privacy, autonomy, and political participation. The balance between recognizing individuality and acknowledging social roles or cultural identities is a recurring theme.

In common usage, especially in Spanish and Portuguese, individuo often means a person, a human being, while in scientific writing it may denote any single organism within a population. The term thus functions as a versatile concept linking biology, philosophy, and social thought.