sine quâ non

A form of sine qua non — An essential or indispensable element, condition, or ingredient.

First used 18ᵗʰ c.
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Meanings

nounsine quâ non (plural sine quibus non)

plural sine quibus non

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of sine qua non.First known use 18ᵗʰ c.

    Knowledge is the sine quâ non; but it is forgotten that moral is, to say the least, as useful as historical or scientific knowledge.

    1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIX, in Romance and Reality. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 275
Cite this entry
APA

sine quâ non. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sine%20qu%C3%A2%20non

MLA

“sine quâ non.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sine%20qu%C3%A2%20non. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sine quâ non,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sine%20qu%C3%A2%20non.

Source: sine quâ non on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.