qua

American  

[kwey, kwah] / kweɪ, kwɑ /

adverb

1. as; as being; in the character or capacity of.

   The work of art qua art can be judged by aesthetic criteria only.

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qua British  

/ kwɑː, kweɪ /

preposition

1. in the capacity of; by virtue of being

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Etymology

Origin of qua

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin quā, feminine ablative singular of the relative pronoun quī who

Example Sentences

The image of Toyotas and Datsuns — soon rebranded as Nissans — went from quirky to sine qua non.

From Los Angeles Times

This is the sine qua non of self-defense.

From The Wall Street Journal

So it’s not just religion qua religion, or religion and law; it’s really bolted onto ideas of capitalism and the economy and dominion of the world.

From Slate

In fact, the history of whaling on its own disproves the central point of “The Killing Age,” that guns were a sine qua non for the making of the modern world.

From The Wall Street Journal

“But now speed and maneuverability are the sine qua non.”

From The Wall Street Journal