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Added 9 October 2026

quintessence

/kwɪnˈtɛs.əns/ noun

Latin root: quinta Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about quintessence at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype.
A pure substance.
(Can we add an example for this sense?)
The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form.

verb

To reduce to its purest and most concentrated essence.

Origin

PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle English, borrowed from Middle French, from Medieval Latin quinta essentia (“fifth essence, aether”), equivalent to quint- + essence. "Essence" in this context is a synonym for "element". In pre-atomic/Aristotelian theory, there are four known elements or essences — Earth, Air, Fire and Water — and a putative fifth element (aether), which is considered to be of exceptional superior quality to the other four basic elements.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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