Word of the Day — June 29, 2012

Sine qua non — SEE-nay kwah-nohn — (Latin: without which not) something that is absolutely necessary Example: "In an article on actor Ben Stiller, the New Yorker said: 'Studios are increasingly bypassing stars altogether, making 'entertainments' — like animation — that largely dispense with the traditional sine qua non of the movies, the human face.'"