sine qua non

Advancedzipf 2.65

Pronunciation

/ˌsɪneɪ kwɑː ˈnɒn/(SIN-ay kwah NON)

Part of speech

nounformal

Chinese

必要条件；不可或缺之物

Definition

An essential condition; a thing that is absolutely necessary.

Word family

  • (no common derivatives)

Collocations

  • sine qua non of
  • absolute sine qua non
  • the sine qua non for
  • regarded as a sine qua non

Examples

  1. 1.Trust is the sine qua non of any healthy relationship. (essential requirement)
  2. 2.Access to clean water is a sine qua non for public health. (indispensable condition)

Synonyms

  • prerequisite/priːˈrɛkwɪzɪt/— required beforehand
  • necessity/nɪˈsɛsɪti/— something essential
  • requirement/rɪˈkwaɪəmənt/— something needed

Etymology

Latin phrase meaning "without which not" — sine (without) + qua (which) + non (not) — the thing without which nothing can happen