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essential oil

American

noun

any of a class of volatile oils obtained from plants, possessing the odor and other characteristic properties of the plant, used chiefly in the manufacture of perfumes, flavors, and pharmaceuticals.

essential oil British

noun

any of various volatile organic oils present in plants, usually containing terpenes and esters and having the odour or flavour of the plant from which they are extracted: used in flavouring and perfumery Compare fixed oil See also oleoresin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

essential oil Scientific

/ ĭ-sĕn′shəl /

Any of various volatile liquids, such as rose oil or lavender oil, that have a characteristic odor and are produced by plants. Essential oils are composed primarily of terpenes and of lesser quantities of alcohols, aldehydes, esters, phenols, and other compounds that impart particular odors or flavors. They are used to make perfumes, soaps, flavorings, and other products.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

essential oils

plural

Etymology

Origin of essential oil

First recorded in 1665–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

essential oil

"We wanted to address two questions: whether essential oil production could add value to underused Hinoki roots and whether that oil could improve sleep," says Associate Professor Kuniyoshi Shimizu from Kyushu University's Faculty of Agriculture.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

"Our findings suggest that repeated use of Hinoki root essential oil at home may support sleep initiation, sleep continuity, and feeling refreshed in the morning."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

A woman sprayed each of us with rose essential oil to help with grounding.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

As a small business, Samar doesn’t benefit from the discounts enjoyed by major brands — big companies buy literally tons of essential oil at a discounted rate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025

Inside, it’s softly lit and smells like a combination of the lavender essential oil mixture we use on the bedding and something pungent and medicinal.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023