sine qua non

noun [S] formal

Definition

› something that must be done or achieved before anything else is done or achieved: sine qua non of sth Aspiring business-school students in Europe know that fluent English is a sine qua non of success.

(Definition of sine qua non noun from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

+ Free Dictionary Toolbar for Browsers
+ Add Dictionary Search to iGoogle and your website

+ Become a fan on Facebook
+ Follow us on Twitter!

Our dictionaries

British English
American English
Business English
Learner's Dictionary
Essential British English
Essential American English
English-Spanish
Español-inglés
English-Turkish

Browse the Thesaurus

Business
Clothes
Education
Finance
Light and colour
Personal care

“sine qua non” in other dictionaries

British English

Browse the Dictionary

simulator noun
simultaneous engineering noun
sin tax noun
sincerely adverb
sine die adverb
sine qua non noun
sinecure noun
Singapore Inter-Bank Offered Rate noun
single adjective
single column centimetre noun
single column inch noun

Word of the Day

honest-to-goodness

real or true

Word of the Day ►

Blog

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Learn More ►

New Words

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.