2007-03-22 22:09:56 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Sine qua non or conditio sine qua non was originally a Latin legal term for "without which it could not be" ("but for"). It refers to an indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient. In recent times it has passed from a merely legal usage to a more general usage in many languages, including English, German, French, Italian, etc. In Classical Latin the correct form uses the word condicio, but nowadays the phrase is sometimes found to be used with conditio, which has a different meaning in Latin ("foundation"). The phrase is also used in economics, philosophy and medicine.
2007-03-22 22:18:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sine Qua Non Legal
2016-12-14 18:01:29 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
literally means "without which, not" (or better would not), basic requisite or essential or an indispensable ingredient.
Ex: Oxygen is a sine qua non for fire to exist.
Hydrogen is a sine qua non ingredient of water.
Air and water are sine qua non for life to exist.
The law is sine qua non for a violation to happen.
2007-03-22 23:58:27 · answer #3 · answered by arienne321 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Literally "without which not", that is an absolute "must", or essential term or element in the absence of which the thing in discussion will not go ahead. I had friends who bought a rather pretentious crystal candelabra, for example, it being a sine qua non of the purchase that the husband would agree to dismantle each of the parts regularly and clean them! (He didn't, as far as one could tell!)
Here's a link with a few examples: http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2000/11/25.html
2007-03-23 00:12:58 · answer #4 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it literally means "without which, it could not be".
meaning the subject you are talking about is necessary, someone or something is indispensible to be able to validate the other.
use it to refer to an essential action or condition for another to exist, happen or remain.
e.g.
Creativity is the sine qua non of art.
2007-03-22 22:25:19 · answer #5 · answered by ASIANsoWHAT 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
An essential element or condition:
“The perfect cake is the sine qua non of the carefully planned modern wedding” (J.M. Hilary).
Latin sine = without + Latin quā, ablative of quī,= which, what, who + Latin nōn = not.
2007-03-22 22:34:56 · answer #6 · answered by martox45 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
therewithout not
2007-03-23 03:13:59 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋