qua

American  

[kwey, kwah] / kweɪ, kwɑ /

adverb

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

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

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qua British  

/ kwɑː, kweɪ /

preposition

1. in the capacity of; by virtue of being

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Etymology

Origin of qua

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin quā, feminine ablative singular of the relative pronoun quī who

Example Sentences

So it’s not just religion qua religion, or religion and law; it’s really bolted onto ideas of capitalism and the economy and dominion of the world.

From Slate • Mar. 10, 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 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

From sine qua non of American psychedelia, to folk-rock deity, jam band progenitor, disco Dead and Top 40 sensation, there was seemingly no pivot the band couldn’t navigate in its 30 years.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2023

It was as though he knew very well that in Lombard's past actions legality had not always been a sine qua non....

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie