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 December 21, 2012
 
Word of the Week--"quintessence"
Definition--(usually quintessence of something) a perfect example or embodiment of it.
Discussion--one could say the quintessence of indolence is the slow moving, work averse sloth. In fact, the sloth's quintessential sloth-like nature is unrivaled in mammalian nature.
Etymology--Quintessence comes from the Middle English and Old French quinte essence, which comes from similar Latin and Greek roots. This old meaning of fifth essence referred to the substance of heavenly bodies latent in all things. It was the highest essence after the four elements of earth , air, fire, and water.
You can see this same root in the German, French, Italian, and Spanish equivalents.
Foreign Translations German:
Quintessenz (f)
French:
quintessence (f)
Italian:
quintessenza
Spanish:
quintaesencia
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