quintessence

[ kwin-tes-uhns ]

/ kwɪnˈtɛs əns /

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See synonyms for: quintessence / quintessential on Thesaurus.com

noun

the pure and concentrated essence of a substance.

the most perfect embodiment of something.

(in ancient and medieval philosophy) the fifth essence or element, ether, supposed to be the constituent matter of the heavenly bodies, the others being air, fire, earth, and water.

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Origin of quintessence

1400–50; Middle English <Medieval Latin quīnta essentia fifth essence

OTHER WORDS FROM quintessence

quin·tes·sen·tial

[kwin-tuh-sen-shuhl], /ˌkwɪn təˈsɛn ʃəl/, adjective

Words nearby quintessence

quintant, quinte, quintefoil, quinternion, Quintero, quintessence, quintessential, quintet, quintic, quintile, Quintilian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quintessence in a sentence

That, America, is the quintessence of naturally occurring British-cute.
UK’s No 1 Churchman Doubts Existence of God: The Archbishop of Canterbury Thinks Deep When Running With His Dog|Tim Teeman|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The actor is the quintessence of smooth, first as Remington Steele, then James Bond.
Pierce Brosnan’s Life After Bond: From Action Hero to Losing His Daughter to Cancer|Tim Teeman|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In recent years, Stoner entered a category of which it soon became the quintessence.
Famous for Not Being Famous: Enough About ‘Stoner’|Drew Smith|October 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Holmes was the quintessence of the Victorian rationalism, “the most perfect and reasoning machine that the world had seen.”
How Sherlock Holmes Took on the Capitalists|Ian Klaus|December 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST

“Innocence is the quintessence of the snapshot,” Lisette Model would write.
Robert Frank's America|Philip Gefter|September 17, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Preserve this precious quintessence of mercury, which is exceedingly volatile, in a well-closed vessel for further use.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician|William Henry Davenport Adams
This drama is the quintessence of all that Gorky has, up to this time, written on the "ex-man," whom he has thoroughly "explored."
Contemporary Russian Novelists|Serge Persky
Only as a subscriber, possessing a numbered set of a limited edition, could one obtain the quintessence of literature.
Bizarre|Lawton Mackall
They are the quaint quintessence of conservatism, and will occupy youthful minds menaced by modernism.
Bizarre|Lawton Mackall
Ten beds, and only one occupied, by a freckled, tousled quintessence of fractiousness in a blue wrapper.
Pippin; A Wandering Flame|Laura E. Richards

British Dictionary definitions for quintessence

quintessence

/ (kwɪnˈtɛsəns) /

noun

the most typical representation of a quality, state, etc

an extract of a substance containing its principle in its most concentrated form

(in ancient and medieval philosophy) ether, the fifth and highest essence or element after earth, water, air, and fire, which was thought to be the constituent matter of the heavenly bodies and latent in all things

Word Origin for quintessence

C15: via French from Medieval Latin quinta essentia the fifth essence, translation of Greek pemptē ousia

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

quintessence

Origin of quintessence

OTHER WORDS FROM quintessence

Words nearby quintessence

Words related to quintessence

How to use quintessence in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quintessence

Word Origin for quintessence