essence

American  

[es-uhns] / ˈɛs əns /

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.

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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.

essence British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• self-essence noun

Etymology

Origin of essence

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

Example Sentences

It captured the very essence of the book because I was looking for the magic of the FA Cup and I found it right there.

From BBC

With speed of the essence, they don’t stop for anything; even bathroom breaks are handled as the boat rockets forward.

From The Wall Street Journal

So, ever the unconventional philosopher, Therrien made real false beards that embody the essence of that.

From Los Angeles Times

In essence, the OBR's judgement of the amount of room for manoeuvre - the so-called "headroom" calculation - will now only be made once a year, from this Budget onwards.

From BBC

Cliff reflected on the song in 1986, telling reggae archivist Roger Steffens: "The essence of my music is struggle. What gives it the icing is the hope of love."

From BBC

Related Words

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