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View synonyms for sine qua non
sine qua non
[ sahy-nee kwey non, kwah, sin-ey; Latin si-ne kwah-nohn ]
noun
- an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential:
Her presence was the sine qua non of every social event.
sine qua non
/ ˈsaɪnɪ kweɪ ˈnɒn /
noun
- an essential condition or requirement
sine qua non
- The essential, crucial, or indispensable ingredient without which something would be impossible: “Her leadership was the sine qua non of the organization's success.” From Latin , meaning “without which nothing.”
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Word History and Origins
Origin of sine qua non1
From Late Latin sine quā (causā) nōn “without which (thing) not”
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Word History and Origins
Origin of sine qua non1
literally: without which not
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Idioms and Phrases
An essential element or condition, as in A perfect cake is the since qua non of a birthday party . This phrase is Latin for “without which not” and has been used in English since about 1600. It appears more in writing than in speech.Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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