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qua

American

[kwey, kwah] / kweɪ, kwɑ /

adverb

as; as being; in the character or capacity of.

The work of art qua art can be judged by aesthetic criteria only.

qua British

/ kwɑː, kweɪ /

preposition

in the capacity of; by virtue of being

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

This is the sine qua non of self-defense.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

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

“Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” is the gem of a sequel to that Oscar-nominated film, centering the story this time around on music as the sine qua non of community.

From New York Times • Aug. 31, 2023

In our debates about Mattel’s Barbie qua feminist hero or tool of the patriarchy, we’ve lost sight that she’s not just Mattel’s Barbie.

From Scientific American • Jul. 21, 2023

“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