From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishthe quintessence of somethingthe quintessence of somethingformalEXAMPLE a perfect example of something John is the quintessence of good manners. → quintessence
Examples from the Corpus
the quintessence of something• Mercury was believed to possess magical properties and some regarded it as the quintessence of the human body and of all substances.• Newell and Simon wanted to know how our brains and minds function; they wanted to discover the quintessence of intelligence.• He is the quintessence of Middle America.• Consciousness rather than inanimate matter is the quintessence of his natural world.• Well, she thought the caravan was the quintessence of OK-ness.• It is the quicksilver panacea for weakness - the quintessence of a dedicated existence. 