Sine qua non or conditio sine qua non was originally a Latin
legal term for "without which it could not be" ("but for"). It refers to an indispensable and
essential action, condition, or ingredient. In recent times it has passed from a merely legal usage to a more general usage in
many languages, including English, German,
French, Italian, Spanish, etc. In Classical Latin the correct form uses the
word condicio, but nowadays the phrase is sometimes found to be used with conditio, which has a different meaning
in Latin ("foundation"). The phrase is also used in economics, philosophy, medicine and more recently, pornography.
An example of the term's usage was annotated in H.W. Brand's biography of Andrew
Jackson. The book included a toast given by Andrew Jackson on the occasion of Jackson receiving an honorary doctorate from
Harvard. The President responded to his listeners, "E pluribus unum, my friends. Sine qua non."
The phrase is also referenced in Chapter 5 of Gardner's Grendel. The dragon references the quote while discussing the
absursdity of man.
Sine Qua Non is also a monster in the online RPG, Adventure Quest.
SQN Electronics is a United Kingdom company primarily producing audio mixers.
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