Hi. I read the Wordsmith newsletter piece on "quintessence" from 4/4/03. I'm a writer, and I'm writing a quirky story in which the main character is the word "quintessence." In the story, I'd like the word to describe where she came from. Right now, I've written this:

"She had burst full-blown from the head of Aristotle, had spread through the world, sported with Milton and Franklin, danced on the winds of intelligent discourse, carried man's greatest dreams, articulated the most profound truths."

But is it accurate to say that she came from Aristotle? Was he the first to use the term that is the ancient Greek equivalent of "quintessence"?

Thanks for your help.

Best,

Jeanne Cavelos

jcavelos@sff.net
http://www.jeannecavelos.com