a sine qua non

sine qua non

A necessary, essential, or required element. The Latin phrases translates literally to "without which not." Some consider a good education to be the sine qua non of a successful career.See also: non, qua, sine

a sine qua ˈnon (of/for something)

/%sIneI kwA: "n@Un; American English "noUn/ (from Latin, formal) something that is essential before you can achieve something else: Many people believe that grammar is the sine qua non of language learning.In Latin, this means ‘without which not’.See also: non, qua, sine