Abstract: This article shows that the noun identité (identity), in its basic meaning, with respect to the adjective identique (identical) and applicable to objects, does not designate a quality or a characteristic, but a symmetrical relation between two entities. This means that if there is an identity between x and y, the relation is symmetrical: if x is identical to y, then y is identical to x. The logical structure of the noun identité is coherent with the syntactical structures where it appears, being generally used with relational prepositions like avec (with) or entre (between). This paper also addresses the problem (philosophically difficult) of partial identity - identity of z between x and y. The study of identity exposes a new subclass in the classification of abstract nouns, including nouns like équivalence, similitude, ressemblance, dissemblance, différence, altérité, which have designating a symmetrical relation as a common semantic characteristic.
