Essence

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɛsÉ™ns/

Origin

From French essence, from Latin essentia ("the being or essence of a thing"), from an artificial formation of esse ("to be"), to translate Ancient Greek οὐσία (ousia, "being"), from ὤν, present participle of εἰμί (eimi, "I am, exist").

Full definition of essence

Noun

1. (inherent nature)The inherent nature of a thing or idea.
• LandorThe laws are at present, both in form and essence, the greatest curse that society labours under.
• AddisonGifts and alms are the expressions, not the essence of this virtue charity.
• CourthorpeThe essence of Addison's humour is irony.
2. (philosophy) The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory.
3. Constituent substance.
• MiltonUncompounded is their essence pure.
4. A being; especially, a purely spiritual being.
• MiltonAs far as gods and heavenly essences
  Can perish.
• Washington IrvingHe had been indulging in fanciful speculations on spiritual essences, until ... he had an ideal world of his own around him.
5. A significant feature of something.
6. The concentrated form of a plant or drug obtained through a distillation process.
• essence of Jojoba
7. Fragrance, a perfume.
• Alexander PopeNor let the essences exhale.

Derived terms

• in essence
• of the essence; time is of the essence

Related terms

• essential
• essentialism
• quintessential

Anagrams

• senesce