Word of the Day

: August 23, 2009

qua

preposition KWAH

What It Means

: in the capacity or character of : as

qua in Context

The school gym qua dance floor was where Oscar and Nanette fell in love.

Did You Know?

Which way? Who? No, we’re not paraphrasing lines from the old Abbott and Costello routine "Who’s on First?"; we’re referring to the etymology of "qua," a term that comes to us from Latin. It can be translated as "which way" or "as," and it is a derivative of the Latin "qui," meaning "who." "Qua" has been serving English in the capacity of a preposition since the 17th century. It’s a learned but handy little word that led one 20th-century usage writer to comment: "Qua is sometimes thought affected or pretentious, but it does convey meaning economically."