Sine qua non

The JC’s guide to pithy Latin adages →Go uptown Latin Tell me more Sign up for our newsletter — or just get in touch: for ½ a weekly 🍺 you get to consult JC. Ask about it here.

Sine qua non
/sɪnaɪ kweɪ nɒn/ (n.)
The operating cause. The prime mover. The thing without which there would be nothing. The shit.

(From the Latin, “without which, nothing”.)