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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.

Faster than you could say “candy cane,” I was saturating every squirrel-trafficked inch of our backyard using a spray bottle filled with 100% peppermint essential oil.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2024

With its earthy sweet scent, this essential oil also is used in the food industry and topically in various cosmetic preparations.

From Science Daily • Feb. 13, 2024

Switch between the sauna and the steam room, with the option to spritz the space with eucalyptus essential oil.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 20, 2024

Ms. Ervin dimmed the lights, walked Ms. Cooper around the hospital three times, then had her bouncing on a birthing ball and inhaling peppermint essential oil fragrances from a towel.

From New York Times • Jan. 18, 2023

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

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