quintesence vs spirit

Is there a difference between the term quintessence and spirit? I notice that they are used interchangeably to represent the fifth element in the pentagram. Are there abt differences between those 2?

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quintessence is the essential "thing" that makes that thing it...

the quintessential knife is one that is always sharp and cuts better than any other

so spirit in that sense is interchangeable as "essence"

But spirit has a much broader denotation and connotation than quintessence

make any sense?

~Thor

Haha i get only i part of it. But thanks for replying=). I personally think that quintessence is like life force, something that all living things have while spirit is the manifestation of a concious will

Quintessence is the fifth element of Aristotle's cosmology. It made up the sun, stars, and heavens.
Spirit is the fifth element of many neopagan and wiccan systems. It supposedly is the spiritual life force and is not the same as quintessence.