different between paraffin vs quintessence

English

Alternative forms

• paraffine

Etymology

Latin paraffinum, from parum (too little) + affinis (related, affinity). Therefore low affinity or being chemically neutral

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?pæ?.?.f?n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?p??.?.f?n/

Noun

paraffin (countable and uncountable, plural paraffins)

1. (Britain) A petroleum-based thin and colorless fuel oil
   • 1919, W. Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, chapter 57

     She poured paraffin on the dry floors and on the pandanus-mats, and then she set fire.

   Synonym: kerosene

2. (chemistry) Any member of the alkane hydrocarbons.
3. Paraffin wax.

Derived terms

• chloroparaffin

Translations

Verb

paraffin (third-person singular simple present paraffins, present participle paraffining, simple past and past participle paraffined)

1. To impregnate or treat with paraffin.
2. To embed in paraffin wax.

Translations

English

Etymology

From Middle English, borrowed from Middle French, from Medieval Latin quinta essentia (“fifth essence, aether”). "Essence" in this context is a synonym for "element". In pre-atomic/Aristotlean theory, there are four known elements or essences — Earth, Air, Fire and Water — and a putative fifth element (aether), which is considered to be of exceptional superior quality to the other four basic elements.

Pronunciation

• enPR: kw?n-t?s?-?ns, kw?n-t?s?-?ns, IPA^(key): /kw?n.?t?s.?ns/, /kw?n.?t?s.?ns/

Noun

quintessence (countable and uncountable, plural quintessences)

1. A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:model

   • 1837 Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution: A History

     As families and kindreds sometimes do; producing, after long ages of unnoted notability, some living quintescence of all the qualities they had, to flame forth as a man world-noted[.]

2. A pure substance.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:non-mixture

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

3. The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:gist
4. (alchemy) The fifth alchemical element, or essence, after earth, air, fire, and water that fills the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere.

   Synonym: aether

5. (physics) A hypothetical form of dark energy postulated to explain observations of an accelerating universe.

Derived terms

• quintessential
• quintessentially

Translations

Verb

quintessence (third-person singular simple present quintessences, present participle quintessencing, simple past and past participle quintessenced)

1. (transitive) To reduce to its purest and most concentrated essence.

References

• quintessence in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “quintessence”, in Online Etymology Dictionary
• “quintessence” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??.t?.s??s/

Noun

quintessence f (plural quintessences)

1. quintessence (all senses)