Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SINE QUA NON

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connect today's word to others: Latin for "without which not," our phrase sine qua non describes parts, pieces, and conditions that are absolutely essential to the whole. A sine qua non is usually a thing, but it can be a person--and technically, although I'm pretty sure no one cares, the phrase sine qua non is feminine; the masculine form is sine quo non. Recently we checked out another term that has a rarely-used masculine version. Can you recall it? It means "formerly known as." And, keeping in mind how the sine in sine qua non means "without," see if you can explain the resemblance to the terms sinecure and sine die. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "SINE QUA NON" Literally "without which not," a sine qua non is a requirement, an essential, a must-have. In other words, it's the one part of something that's basic, important, and absolutely necessary. Pronunciation: Several ways are acceptable. I recommend "SIN ay kwah NON." Part of speech: Often a noun, the countable kind: "this is the sine qua non." Other forms: The plural form is either "sine quibus non" (the older, more formal one) or just "sine qua nons." And you can use "sine qua non" as an adjective: "sine qua non conditions," "a sine qua non component," "it's sine qua non for this." How to use it: It's formal and a bit flashy, of course. Many writers italicize it; some don't. (The New York Times doesn't italicize it, so I don't, either.) Often we call something the sine qua non in, of, or for something: "trust is the sine qua non in a romance," "accuracy is the sine qua non of a news article," "highly trained teachers are the sine qua non for public education," "roping in your friends as downlines is the sine qua non of pyramid schemes." If your meaning is clear, though, you can leave out the preposition: just call something the sine qua non, period. Here's The Economist, after summing up a humanitarian crisis: "But making peace is the sine qua non." You can say something is, seems, becomes, or constitutes a sine qua non. And you can talk about people regarding something as a sine qua non, neglecting or ignoring a sine qua non, acting as if certain things were (or weren't) the sine qua non, etc. Like I mentioned above, you can use this term loosely like an adjective, as in "sine qua non ingredients." And in older texts, you'll see "sine qua non" after the thing it describes--do that if you want to strike a tone that's formal, even legal or bureaucratic: "conditions sine qua non of this," "cases sine qua non of that." examples: In Hilo, cuisine is heavy; two big scoops of rice are sine qua non for a meal. "...There is the picturesque surviving row [of houses] at 301-309 West 89th Street, with peaked roofs and the sine qua non of house design since the 1860s, high stoops."    — Christopher Gray, New York Times, 19 October 2017 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "sine qua non" without saying "necessity" or "requirement." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(It's/They're) the sine qua non of _____: _____." Example: "It's the sine qua non of your degree: a successful defense of your dissertation." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is "A Doodad Named After a Thingamajig." If I give you two categories, X and Y, can you think of an X that was named after a Y? We'll start off easy--these first few questions will have lots of correct answers each that you might think up--and we'll work our way toward harder questions that, as far as I know, have only one correct answer each. From the previous issue: Can you think of a sport named after a town? The only answer I know of is rugby. (If you know more, please share them!) Try this one today: Can you think of a style of facial hair named after a food? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of SINE QUA NON is A. BEN TROVATO. B. CHICANERY. C. DEADWOOD. 2. When I find myself writing some hyphenated monstrosity like "sine-qua-nonical," I chide myself and find a simple replacement, like "_____." A. key B. far C. dubbed Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. A