Qua (not to be confused with the ablative feminine form of qui) is a Latin adverb meaning "where; by which route". Read it as "as" when you read it. Use it in scholarly or legal writing to refer to a specific role or conceptual category for an entity that could have more than one role/conceptual category.

Understanding the Context

E.g., All that is necessary is, that the arbiter, in the free exercise of his discretion ... Qua can usually be read as the word "as". It is an occasionally useful (and rarely used) link-word in English. I was just reading about qua in Fowler's (incl.

Key Insights

the 3rd ed by Burchfield) a couple of days ago. Says Fowler: "The real occasion for the use of qua occurs when a person or thing spoken of can be regarded from more than one point of view or as the holder of various coexistent functions ... How is the word "qua" used? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange It's hard to find a fundamental difference in how "X qua X" and "X simpliciter" are used. There might be differences in connotation though, with qua suggesting something has multiple aspects and can be considered qua multiple things, while simpliciter means simply.

Final Thoughts

"low quality" is the usual expression, if you google or look on video forums. There are more specific terms like grainy, low-res, blurry, blocky, noisy, corrupt, artefacted/ual/y, dark, etc, but "low quality" is the more general term. Is there a word to describe the habit of acquiring and owning expensive high quality things but usually choosing to use cheap things anyway? There is a difference between a word being gross and its standing for something gross. These words all stand for something that most people regard as gross, but none of them is gross qua word (although they do differ in how formal they are, as explained in Lambie's answer). (Cf.

DjinTonic's answer to a recent question about drop by.) Illustrations, of course, are a sine qua non. The London Magazine (1910) If you want trees that will give you good service for a lifetime, write us for our catalogue and submit us a list of your wants. California Cultivator (1916) If you can submit us attractive sketches, we will be glad to give you a portion of our business.