qua
Americanadverb
preposition
Etymology
Origin of qua
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin quā, feminine ablative singular of the relative pronoun quī who
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The image of Toyotas and Datsuns — soon rebranded as Nissans — went from quirky to sine qua non.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
In fact, the history of whaling on its own disproves the central point of “The Killing Age,” that guns were a sine qua non for the making of the modern world.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025
But I think that, in a world of vigilantism and stochastic terror, it is not just bad for speech qua speech, but for governance qua governance.
From Slate • Sep. 12, 2025
But a first hostage deal “is the sine qua non of the administration’s larger regional deal,” said Martin S. Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel.
From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2024
“I’m afraid Mr. Lemoncello doesn’t like libraries qua libraries.”
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
