sine qua non

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Contents

English [edit]

Alternative forms [edit]

Etymology [edit]

Latin sine qua non, “without which [cause] not”

Pronunciation [edit]

  • (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈsi.ne kwa noːn/[1]
  • (US) IPA: /ˈsaɪni kwɑ ˈnɒn/, /ˈsaɪni kweɪ ˈnɒn/, /ˈsɪneɪ kwɑ ˈnɒn/, /ˈsɪneɪ kweɪ ˈnɒn/

Noun [edit]

sine qua non (plural sine qua nons or sine quibus non)

  1. An essential or indispensable element, condition, or ingredient.
    • 2000, A. Przeworski, M. Alvarez, J. Cheibub, F. Limongi, Democracy and Development (Cambridge University Press), page 34:
      [] whereas some degree of political freedom is a sine qua non condition for contestation, democracy cannot be sufficiently defined in terms of "liberties" []

Synonyms [edit]

Translations [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ sine qua non” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.