Quintessence

Quintessence, or quintessential, or fifth essence, may refer to:

Cosmology

• Aether (classical element), in medieval cosmology and science, the fifth element that fills the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere
• Quintessence (physics), a hypothetical form of dark energy, postulated to explain the accelerating expansion of the universe

Literature

• Quintessence: Basic Readings from the Philosophy of W. V. Quine, essays by Willard Van Orman Quine
• Quintessence: The Quality of Having It, a 1983 book by Betty Cornfeld and Owen Edwards
• Works by Lawrence M. Krauss:
  • The Fifth Essence, a 1989 book
  • Quintessence: The Search for Missing Mass in the Universe, a 2000 book
• Quintessence, a 2013 science fiction book by David Walton

Media companies

• Quintessence Films, film production company
• Quintessence Films Limited, British film production company
• Quintessence International Publishing Group, a publishing company founded in Berlin, Germany

Music

• Quintessence Records, a budget label
• Quintessence Records (Canadian label)
• Quintessence (band), 1970s British progressive rock band specializing in Indian themes and sounds

Albums

• The Quintessence, by Quincy Jones and his orchestra, 1962
• Quintessence (Quintessence album), 1970
• Quintessence (Bill Evans album), 1976
• Quintessence (Borknagar album), 2000
• Quintessential, by Steam Powered Giraffe, 2016
• Quintessence (Spontaneous Music Ensemble album)

Songs

• "Quintessence", by Darkthrone, from album Panzerfaust
• "Quintessence", by Rotting Christ, from album Genesis
• "Quintessence", by Mastodon, from album Crack the Skye
• "In Quintessence", by Squeeze, from album East Side Story
• "Quintessence", by Marketa Irglová, featuring Emilíana Torrini and Aukai, 2020 single

Other uses

• Quintessence: The Blighted Venom, a game by Freebird Games
• Quintessence (horse), a thoroughbred racer (1900–1917)
• The Quintessence, a DC Comics group of mutually consulting cosmic beings: see resp. Ganthet section
• Quintessence (restaurant), a Michelin 3-star Japanese French fusion restaurant in Shinagawa, Japan
• Quintessential, adjective meaning the most perfect example of quality or class

See also

• Quintessenz, an Austrian on-line civil liberties advocacy organization
• Quintessons, fictional characters from the Transformers franchise
• Fifth Element (disambiguation)