quintessence
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Middle English < Middle French < Mediaeval Latin quinta essentia "fifth essence".
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
quintessence (uncountable)
- A thing that is the most perfect example of its type.
- A pure substance.
- (alchemy) The fifth alchemical element, or essence, after earth, air, fire, and water
- The essence in a thing that in its purest and most concentrated form.
- The most perfect embodiment of something.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] References
- quintessence in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- “quintessence” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001
- “quintessence” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.

