Meaning
Something absolutely indispensable; a condition without which a desired outcome is impossible, as when trust is called the bedrock of any partnership. It is a formal, learned phrase typical of legal, academic, and policy writing, and it functions as a noun, usually singular. English has not shifted the Latin sense; it remains a technical-sounding synonym for an essential prerequisite. Learned and formal, common in law and commentary; can sound pompous in everyday talk. Regional use: General English (borrowed from Latin).
Origin
Latin, literally 'without which not', an ellipsis of the legal formula condicio sine qua non, 'a condition without which [it] could not [be]': sine 'without', qua, the ablative of the relative pronoun for 'which', and non 'not'. The formula marked an indispensable condition in Roman and later European law and survives in modern legal tests of causation. Merriam-Webster and the OED date the first known English use to 1602, with the OED's earliest evidence a letter by the Elizabethan secretary of state Robert Cecil; Etymonline notes still earlier uses from the 1530s, so the precise arrival date varies slightly by source.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- causa sine qua non
- condicio sine qua non
- sine qua nons
Usage Examples
- A valid visa is the sine qua non of international travel.
- Punctuality is a sine qua non for anyone hoping to work in live television.
- Free and fair elections remain the sine qua non of a functioning democracy.