DEFINITION: n. Something, or someone, that/who always seems to break or fall apart, just when you need it/them the most. v. To fall apart just when you need to get it together.

Quitessential

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: kwit-uh-sen-shuhl

Sentence: Marsha assumed that the owner's manual had a typo when it described her new computer as quitessential. Not so. All too often, when she was at a crucial juncture in a tabulation, it would just quit. She wouldn't even get the dreaded blue screen, just a few Chinese-looking Kanji characters and a shutdown. When she had the characters translated, they said "I have a headache, goodnight". So much for buying a cheap PC from the back of a van.

Etymology: quit (of the pure and essential essence of something) + essential (absolutely necessary; indispensable)

Points: 1079

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