Quintessential

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl/

Definitions

1. The most perfect or typical example of a particular quality or class
2. An ideal representative that embodies the fundamental qualities of a specific category or trait
3. Representing the purest or most perfect example of a particular kind or quality

Etymology: "Quintessential" is an adjective built from "quintessence" plus the adjectival suffix "-al", so its story is really the story of the noun it comes from. "Quintessence" entered English from Medieval Latin "quinta essentia", meaning "fifth essence". Medieval philosophers, following Aristotle, held that the heavens were made of a fifth substance beyond the four elements of earth, water, air and fire, and this substance was thought to be the purest and most refined material of all. That literal sense of purity carried over into the figurative sense of an essence distilled from something, and eventually "quintessence" came to mean the perfect embodiment of a quality or type. "Quintessential" follows the same path, describing something that is the purest or most typical instance of its kind, as in a quintessential English village. The "fifth" in the name is the only trace of the numbering in the word's current use, and the idea of an extracted, concentrated core remains at its heart.

Synonyms: typical, ultimate, perfect, ideal, standard

Antonyms: atypical, uncharacteristic