FreeVocabulary
Quintessential
/ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃəl/ adjective hardRepresenting the most perfect or typical example of a quality or type.
With its rain, tea, and long queues, the scene felt like the quintessential English afternoon.
Memory Trick
It comes from quint (fifth) plus essence; medieval thinkers believed a fifth, purest element lay beyond earth, air, fire, and water, so quintessential now means the purest example of something.