English noun: quintessence |
1. | quintessence (substance) the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies |
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| Synonyms | ether |
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| Broader (hypernym) | element |
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| Domain usage | archaicism, archaism |
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2. | quintessence (cognition) the purest and most concentrated essence of something |
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| Broader (hypernym) | center, centre, core, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nitty-gritty, nub, pith, substance, sum |
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3. | quintessence (cognition) the most typical example or representative of a type |
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| Broader (hypernym) | example, illustration, instance, representative |
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