Quintessence

Quintessence is one of my favorite words. I like its origins and its history. I just like the sound of the word.
 
The word quintessence combines the words quint and essence. Quint comes from Latin quinta (five); e.g., quintuplets.
 
The word essence has its origins in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root es (to be), Greek ousia (being, essence), and Latin esse (to be) and essentia (being, essence). The word essence comes almost unchanged in meaning and spelling to English in the late 14th century.
 
Essence can be defined as that which something has to have to make it what it fundamentally is and without which it loses its identity. When we say that something is essential, it usually means that we cannot do without it.
 
In ancient European philosophy and medieval alchemy, all things were perceived as being comprised of various combinations of four basic elements: air, water, fire, earth.
 
People who studied such things felt that there was some mysterious unifying force or energy which balanced and held these four elements together in relationship to one another. This force or energy was known as the quinta essentia (the quintessence); “the fifth and highest element in ancient and medieval philosophy that permeates all nature” (Merriam-Webster).
 
In the early 15th century, the word quintessence came to English meaning the essence or the heart of something; also, meaning something which is of the utmost importance. The word quintessential appears around 1600.
 
Consider: When we say, “Take five”, we not only mean, “Take a break”, but perhaps, “Take some time to get in touch with yourself, take some time to get reconnected to who you are.”
 
Similarly, at times of success or celebration when we exclaim, “Gimme five!”, perhaps we also imply, “Give me your energy, your creativity, your winning spirit!”
 
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
​