quintessence

quin·tes·sence  (kwn-tsns)

n.

1. The pure, highly concentrated essence of a thing.

2. The purest or most typical instance: the quintessence of evil.

3. In ancient and medieval philosophy, the fifth and highest essence after the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water, thought to be the substance of the heavenly bodies and latent in all things.

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[Middle English, from Old French quinte essence, fifth essence, from Medieval Latin qunta essentia (translation of Greek pempt ousi) : Latin qunta, feminine of quntus, fifth; see penk^we in Indo-European roots + Latin essentia, essence; see essence.]

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quintessence

Noun

1. the most perfect representation of a quality or state

2. an extract of a substance containing its central nature in its most concentrated form [Medieval Latin quinta essentia the fifth essence]

quintessential adj

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quintessence

Ancient and Medieval Philosophy. the fifth essence, of which the heavenly bodies were thought to be made, distinguished from the four elements of ure, air, water, and earth; hence, the most pure essence or most perfect embodiment of a thing or being. — quintessential, adj.

See also: Philosophy

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	quintessence - the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies ether archaicism, archaism - the use of an archaic expression element - one of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe; "the alchemists believed that there were four elements"
	2.	quintessence - the purest and most concentrated essence of something essence, heart and soul, inwardness, nitty-gritty, pith, substance, gist, kernel, nub, meat, core, sum, marrow, heart, center, centre - the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story"
	3.	quintessence - the most typical example or representative of a type example, instance, illustration, representative - an item of information that is typical of a class or group; "this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome"; "there is an example on page 10"