Quintessence is someone or something that is a classic example of a characteristic or persona.
(noun)When a person is a classic example of someone who is polite, this is an example of a person who is thequintessence of good manners.
See quintessence in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
Origin: ME quyntencense < MFr quinte essence < ML quinta essentia
Related Forms:
See quintessence in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
Origin:
Origin: Middle English
Origin: , from Old French quinte essence, fifth essence
Origin: , from Medieval Latin quīnta essentia (translation of Greek pemptē ousiā)
Origin: : Latin quīnta
Origin: , feminine of quīntus, fifth; see penkwe in Indo-European roots
Origin: + Latin essentia, essence; see essence
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