essence

[es-uhns]

noun

1. the basic, real, and invariable nature of a thing or its significant individual feature or features.

   Freedom is the very essence of our democracy.

   Synonyms: core, soul, principle, heart, lifeblood, spirit, substance

2. a substance obtained from a plant, drug, or the like, by distillation, infusion, etc., and containing its characteristic properties in concentrated form.

3. an alcoholic solution of an essential oil; spirit.

4. a perfume; scent.

5. Philosophy.,  the inward nature, true substance, or constitution of anything, as opposed to what is accidental, phenomenal, illusory, etc.

6. something that exists, especially a spiritual or immaterial entity.

essence

/ ˈɛsəns /

noun

1. the characteristic or intrinsic feature of a thing, which determines its identity; fundamental nature

2. the most distinctive element of a thing

   the essence of a problem

3. a perfect or complete form of something, esp a person who typifies an abstract quality

   he was the essence of gentility

4. philosophy

   1. the unchanging and unchangeable nature of something which is necessary to its being the thing it is; its necessary properties Compare accident

   2. the properties in virtue of which something is called by its name

   3. the nature of something as distinct from, and logically prior to, its existence

5. theol an immaterial or spiritual entity

6. 1. the constituent of a plant, usually an oil, alkaloid, or glycoside, that determines its chemical or pharmacological properties

   2. an alcoholic solution of such a substance

7. a substance, usually a liquid, containing the properties of a plant or foodstuff in concentrated form

   vanilla essence

8. a rare word for perfume

9. essentially; fundamentally

10. indispensable; vitally important

Other Word Forms

• self-essence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of essence¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English essencia, from Medieval Latin, from Latin essentia, equivalent to esse + -ence

Word History and Origins

Origin of essence¹

C14: from Medieval Latin essentia, from Latin: the being (of something), from esse to be

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. of the essence, absolutely essential; critical; crucial.

   In chess, cool nerves are of the essence.

2. in essence, essentially; at bottom, often despite appearances.

   For all his bluster, he is in essence a shy person.

Example Sentences

However, a large number of fans feel the club have lost their essence with the move from Upton Park.

Read more on BBC

While the content of the patient’s memories erodes catastrophically, leaving them disabled and dependent, the patient nonetheless seems to retain the essence of his or her healthy former self.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In essence, the anomaly could serve as a fingerprint of proto-Earth matter.

Read more on Science Daily

In essence, company bosses are saying that they need to keep people working right now, but that they will replace them with AI as soon as they can.

Read more on Barron's

It is, in essence, a bet on the business of speculation: Polymarket lets you gamble on almost anything, from the World Series to Ireland’s presidential election.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• aspect 
• basis 
• bottom line 
• character 
• core 
• crux 
• element 
• lifeblood 
• meaning 
• nature 
• principle 
• quality 
• reality 
• root 
• soul 
• spirit 
• structure 
• substance