{"id":4177,"date":"2025-10-25T13:58:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T13:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4177"},"modified":"2025-10-25T19:21:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T19:21:56","slug":"adventures-in-etymology-quintessence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4177","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Etymology &#8211; Quintessence"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Quintessence\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-10-25T13:58:47+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M30S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we search for the elemental origins of the word  quintessence.\n\n\n\nQuintessence [kw\u026an\u02c8t\u025bs.\u0259ns] is:\n\n A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype\n A p...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.7\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_6707\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4177-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4177-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"quintessence.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we search for the elemental origins of the word  <strong>quintessence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/91086078@N03\/14900147525\/in\/photolist-LcunsH-5pzHmp-2pmFx1M-7d7ACr-2ZrkpM-7DzZMU-8Z9PLh-9Gvost-qsmH8T-q3rAV1-2nmwgpa-2mmK8DR-qJP5Fk-8uD5BQ-2nPvE7c-RC4ZNQ-nJgXeE-qseMaU-fhDzG7-anBJNf-qsoAGF-9GygAd-2rsoQwc-oGF9Kg-5gofEN-AvurDx-FTP1Y-qJJK2L-qseGmf-5QT24P-qsfrcs-azXEfr-2pD7iMK-2kTGcmL-RC4ZPm-8YJ8Kh-2kE4LXc-5SukvR-2dFqGLj-qpaWH3-9GygU9-Mx2LcU-2aZnsym-poumxw-7PPgEy-dLancc-889QWr-noijuJ-4Ti1GJ-5eQUM9\" title=\"Quintessence\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/5578\/14900147525_1ba0219938_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"478\" alt=\"Quintessence\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quintessence<\/strong> [kw\u026an\u02c8t\u025bs.\u0259ns] is:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype<\/li>\n<li>A pure substance.<\/li>\n<li>The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form.<\/li>\n<li>(<em>alchemy<\/em>) The fifth alchemical element, or essence, after earth, air, fire, and water that fills the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere. (A)ether.<\/li>\n<li>(<em>physics<\/em>) A hypothetical form of dark energy postulated to explain observations of an accelerating universe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It comes from Middle English <em>quint-essence<\/em> (quintessence, the fifth essence or element), from Old French <em>quinte essence<\/em> (quintessence), from Medieval Latin <em>quinta essentia<\/em> (fifth essence, aether), from Latin <em>qu\u012bntus<\/em> (fifth) and  <em>essentia<\/em> (the being or essence of a thing) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/quintessence#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots include <strong>quintillion<\/strong> (a billion billion, a million quadrillion, or an unspecified very large number), <strong>quintuplex<\/strong> (a collection of 5 things, a building divided in 5 residences or businesses) and <strong>quintet<\/strong> (a group of 5 musicians, or any group with 5 members) in English, <strong>cinque<\/strong> (5) in Italian, <strong>cinco<\/strong> (5) in Spanish, <strong>cinc<\/strong> (5) in French [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/quint-\">source<\/a>], and also <strong>essence<\/strong> and <strong>essential<\/strong> in English, <strong>esence<\/strong> (essence, extract) in Czech, <strong>essence<\/strong> (petrol, gasoline, essence, essential oil) in French, and <strong>\u00e9sser<\/strong> (to be, exist, be real) in Catalan [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/essentia#Latin\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Incidentally, I was inspired to investigate the word <strong>quintessence<\/strong> after learning the Welsh word <strong>m\u00ear<\/strong>, which means marrow, the best or essential part, quintessence, essence, soul, heart, centre, middle, depth, and (source of) strength.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s related to the Irish word <strong>smior<\/strong> (marrow, pith, essential part, quintessence), to the English word <strong>smear<\/strong>, and to the Swedish word <strong>sm\u00f6r<\/strong> (butter &#8211; as in sm\u00f6rg\u00e5sbord) [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/2025\/10\/24\/pithy-marrow\/\">more details<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/uk\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=aLjPfXL-vP_1gQ_U23Iz8_hSWLlhzLHPMFZrt32dIEfG8htoNFLYaPoWkv8&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8def8934b92a630e40b7fef61ab7e9fe63\">PayPal<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/omniglot\">Patreon<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/donations.htm\">contribute to Omniglot in other ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with <a href=\"https:\/\/blubrry.com\/services\/podcast-hosting\/?code=omniglot\">Blubrry Podcast Hosting<\/a>, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code <strong>omniglot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.japanesepod101.com\/member\/go.php?r=759259&amp;i=b0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/banners\/banner_japanesepod.jpg\" alt=\"The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com\" width=\"630\" height=\"83\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/\">Omniglot Blog<\/a>, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/\">Celtiadur<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Blog horizontal --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"1685480124\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Quintessence\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-10-25T13:58:47+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M30S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we search for the elemental origins of the word  quintessence.\n\n\n\nQuintessence [kw\u026an\u02c8t\u025bs.\u0259ns] is:\n\n A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype\n A p...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.7\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_6708\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4177-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4177-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/quintessence.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"quintessence.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we search for the elemental origins of the word quintessence. Quintessence [kw\u026an\u02c8t\u025bs.\u0259ns] is: A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype A pure substance. The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form. (alchemy) The fifth [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,115,33,20,56,23,6,12,4,50,58,11,109,1,28,30,7],"tags":[346,344,342,341,345,90,343,9,167,15,88,8,340,103],"class_list":["post-4177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures-in-etymology","category-catalan-catala","category-czech","category-english","category-etymology","category-french","category-irish","category-italian","category-language","category-latin","category-middle-english","category-music","category-old-french-franceis","category-podcast","category-spanish","category-swedish","category-welsh","tag-aether","tag-dark-energy","tag-element","tag-essence","tag-ether","tag-etymology","tag-fifth-element","tag-language","tag-linguistics","tag-music","tag-omniglot","tag-podcast","tag-quintessence","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4177"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4185,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4177\/revisions\/4185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}