单词 | sine qua non |
释义 | sine qua non (once / 14981 pages) n Use the expression sine qua non as an impressive way of describing something that's essential. Chocolate chips are the sine qua non of chocolate chip cookies, for example, and wind is a sine qua non for flying a kite. The term literally means "without which not" in Latin, and it was originally a legal term. These days, it's used more generally to talk about anything that's necessary. WORD FAMILYsine qua non: sine qua nons, sines qua non USAGE EXAMPLES“Growth is a”—he turned to look at his son—“what’s the phrase? Sine qua non?” The New Yorker(Nov 10, 2016) We can irredeemably shred the bonds of trust that are the sine qua non of any democracy. Seattle Times(Nov 08, 2016) Why blame the Greens for these and other sine qua nons — absent any one of which Mr. Bush would have been denied the presidency? Washington Post(Sep 02, 2016) n a prerequisite Syn|Hyper essential condition prerequisite, requirement something that is required in advance |
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