quintessence
/kwɪnˈtɛs.əns/ noun, verb
Forms quintessences quintessencing quintessenced
- noun A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype.
- noun A pure substance.
- noun The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form.
- noun (alchemy) The fifth alchemical element, or essence, after earth, air, fire, and water that fills the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere.
- noun (physics) A hypothetical form of dark energy postulated to explain observations of an accelerating universe.
- verb (transitive) To reduce to its purest and most concentrated essence.
Synonyms
archetype epitome example exemplar icon model paradigm paragon pattern template distillation simple bowels sum brass tacks core crux essence gist drift ether
Etymology
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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The fifth or last and highest essence or power in a natural body.
- noun Hence: An extract from anything, containing its rarest virtue, or most subtle and essential constituent in a small quantity; pure or concentrated essence.
- verb To distil or extract as a quintessence; to reduce to a quintessence. [R.] Stirling. "Truth quintessenced and raised to the highest power." J. A. Symonds.
Etymology [F., fr. L. quinta essentia fifth essence. See Quint, and Essence.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “quintessence”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details