sine qua non

Meaning

An essential or indispensable element, condition, or ingredient.

Synonyms

essential condition

Translations

sine qua non

sine qua non

notwendige Bedingung

absolute Notwendigkeit

conditio sine qua non

unerlässliche Voraussetzung

sine qua non

condition sine qua non

conditio sine qua non

condición esencial

sine qua non

condición sine qua non

condició essencial

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌsaɪnɪ kweɪ ˈnɒn/

Etymology

Cognate with Greek: εκ των ων ουκ άνευ

In summary

Borrowed from Latin [condiciō] sine quā nōn (“[condition] without which not”), an expression which originated in the works of Boethius as a translation of some Aristotelian expression (perhaps Ancient Greek οὗ οὐκ ἄνευ (hoû ouk áneu); compare also Modern Greek εκ των ων ουκ άνευ (ek ton on ouk ánef) / Katharevousa ἐκ τῶν ὧν οὐκ ἄνευ (ek tón ón ouk ánef)), and was later popularized by scholastics.