onessuch

Onessuch is a neologism used in contemporary philosophy and linguistics to describe a notion of identity or reference that emphasizes singular, context-dependent instantiation. The term combines intuitions about one and suchness, signaling that an object can be uniquely identified within a given framework by a minimal, context-sensitive set of characteristics. Since its appearance in early 21st-century discussions, onessuch has been employed to illuminate debates about how reference is established in natural language and how objects are individuated in formal theories of identity.

In usage, onessuch denotes a relation or property that, within a specified context, singles out a single object as the one that bears certain attributes. For example, in a hypothetical model, the onessuch of a particle could be the particular combination of its mass, charge, and position relative to a context that makes it the unique instance under consideration. Some scholars treat onessuch as a methodological tool rather than a philosophical thesis, to stress economy in descriptions.

Critics argue that the term risks ambiguity because "one" and "such" may be interpreted differently across frameworks. Proponents, by contrast, view onessuch as clarifying how minimal descriptions suffice to identify objects without invoking heavy ontological commitments. See also identity, reference, individuation, essentialism.