英语词汇quintessence的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

quintessence. Pythagorean alchemists, like everyone before and since, failed in their efforts to find a fifth element other than earth, air, fire, and water. But they thought that they had found this quinta essentia, or “fifth essence,” in the form of ether, which they believed was the rarest and most pervasive of all the elements and formed the substance of the heavenly bodies. Since in a figurative sense fifth essences have been dis- covered, however, the word quintessence (from the Latin quinta essentia) means the most essential part or principle of a sub- stance, the rarest distillation of a perfume or an idea.

词汇	quintessence
词源	quintessence. Pythagorean alchemists, like everyone before and since, failed in their efforts to find a fifth element other than earth, air, fire, and water. But they thought that they had found this quinta essentia, or “fifth essence,” in the form of ether, which they believed was the rarest and most pervasive of all the elements and formed the substance of the heavenly bodies. Since in a figurative sense fifth essences have been dis- covered, however, the word quintessence (from the Latin quinta essentia) means the most essential part or principle of a sub- stance, the rarest distillation of a perfume or an idea.
随便看	parsons table parthenon parthian arrow etc parthian shot parting shot partridge partridge always partridge parts of speech part that went over the fence last party crasher party line party machinery pasquinade passel passenger passion flower passion for anonymity passion gap passion killers passion play pass the buck pass under the yoke pasta pasta fazool pasteboards