quintessence
[ kwin-tes-uh ns ]
/ kwɪnˈtɛs əns /
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.
RELATED WORDS
apotheosis, heart, substance, gist, bottom, kernel, distillation, soul, pith, stuff, essentiality, ultimate, epitome, marrow, extract, spirit, lifeblood, quiddity, virtuality
Nearby words
- quintant,
- quinte,
- quintefoil,
- quinternion,
- quintero,
- quintessential,
- quintessentially,
- quintet,
- quintic,
- quintile
Origin of quintessence
1400–50; Middle English < Medieval Latin quīnta essentia fifth essence
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web 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
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quintessence
early 15c., in ancient and medieval philosophy, "pure essence, substance of which the heavenly bodies are composed," literally "fifth essence," from Middle French quinte essence (14c.), from Medieval Latin quinta essentia, from Latin quinta, fem. of quintus "fifth" (see quinque-) + essentia (see Parousia).
A loan-translation of Greek pempte ousia, the "ether" added by Aristotle to the four known elements (water, earth, fire, air) and said to permeate all things. Its extraction was one of the chief goals of alchemy. Sense of "purest essence" (of a situation, character, etc.) is first recorded 1580s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper