lifeblood vs quintessence

lifeblood

noun
  • That which is required for continued existence or function. 

  • Blood that is needed for continued life; blood regarded as the seat of life. 

quintessence

noun
  • The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form. 

  • A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype. 

  • A pure substance. 

  • The fifth alchemical element, or essence, after earth, air, fire, and water that fills the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere. 

  • A hypothetical form of dark energy postulated to explain observations of an accelerating universe. 

verb
  • To reduce to its purest and most concentrated essence. 

How often have the words lifeblood and quintessence occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )