essence

[ es-uhns ]
/ ˈɛs əns /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR essence ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the basic, real, and invariable nature of a thing or its significant individual feature or features: Freedom is the very essence of our democracy.
a substance obtained from a plant, drug, or the like, by distillation, infusion, etc., and containing its characteristic properties in concentrated form.
an alcoholic solution of an essential oil; spirit.
a perfume; scent.
Philosophy. the inward nature, true substance, or constitution of anything, as opposed to what is accidental, phenomenal, illusory, etc.
something that exists, especially a spiritual or immaterial entity.

Idioms for essence

    in essence, essentially; at bottom, often despite appearances: For all his bluster, he is in essence a shy person.
    of the essence, absolutely essential; critical; crucial: In chess, cool nerves are of the essence.

Origin of essence

1350–1400; Middle English essencia < Medieval Latin, for Latin essentia. See esse, -ence

OTHER WORDS FROM essence

self-es·sence, noun

Words nearby essence

essayist, essayistic, esse, esse quam videri, essen, essence, essence d'orient, essence of bergamot, essene, essential, essential amino acid

Words related to of the essence

mandatory, requisite, imperative, essential, expedient, important, indispensable, obligatory, required, vital, necessitous, needful

British Dictionary definitions for of the essence

essence
/ (ˈɛsəns) /

noun

Word Origin for essence

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

Idioms and Phrases with of the essence

of the essence

Of the greatest importance, crucial, as in Time is of the essence. This idiom, which uses essence in the sense of “the most important element of something,” was first recorded in 1873, although the phrase the essence of ... was already being used in the mid-1600s.