entity

noun

1. that which is perceived or known or inferred to have its own distinct existence (living or nonliving)

1. 独立存在体;实体
An entity is something that exists separately from other things and has a clear identity of its own.

e.g. ...the earth as a living entity...
作为一个有生命的实体的地球
e.g. North and South will remain separate entities within a commonwealth until the year 2000.
南方和北方将作为一个政治联合体下的两个独立实体继续存在，直至2000年。

1. 实体,本体：需要首先设计. 同时,由于Fact还是代理任务的输入输出对象,我们在决定Fact的同时,一般也就能确定代理之间的相互功能关系与协作方式. 根据它们在系统中的作用,这些本体对象可以分为两种类型:实体本体(Entity)与消息本体(Message).