quintessence

nouns

the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies
ether, quintessence
is derived from
quintessential
the purest and most concentrated essence of something
quintessence
is derived from
quintessential
is a type of (narrower)
the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
"the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story"
center, centre, core, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nitty-gritty, nub, pith, substance, sum
the most typical example or representative of a type
quintessence
is derived from
quintessential
is a type of (narrower)
an item of information that is typical of a class or group
"this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome"; "there is an example on page 10"
example, illustration, instance, representative