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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

essence en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

From Middle English essence, from Middle French essence, from Latin essentia (“the being or essence of a thing”), from an artificial formation of esse (“to be”), to translate Ancient Greek οὐσία (ousía, “being”), from ὤν (ṓn), present participle of εἰμί (eimí, “to be, exist”). Displaced native Old English understandennes (literally, "understanden-ness").

Meanings

  1. (countable, uncountable) The inherent nature of a thing or idea.
    • They [the laws] are at present, both in form and essence, the greatest curse that society labours under ; the scorn of the wicked, the consternation of the good, the refuge of those who violate, and the ruin of those who appeal to them. 1824, Walter Savage Landor, “Oliver Cromwel and Walter Noble”, in Imaginary Conversations, 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, published 1826, page 105:
    • CHARITY is a virtue of the heart, and not of the hands, ſays an old writer. Gifts and alms are the expreſſions, not the eſſence of this virtue. 1713 September 21, Joseph Addison, The Guardian, collected in The Works of the Late Right Honorable Joseph Addison, volume IV, Birmingham: John Baskerville, published 1761, page 263
    • The essence of Addison’s humour is irony. 1884, William John Courthope, chapter IX, in Addison, London: Macmillan and Co., page 182:
    • It may be that a free society as we have known it carries in itself the forces of its own destruction, that once freedom has been achieved it is taken for granted and ceases to be valued, and that the free growth of ideas which is the essence of a free society will bring about the destruction of the foundations on which it depends. 1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, pages 431-432:
  2. (countable, uncountable) The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory.
  3. (countable, uncountable) Constituent substance.
    • For Spirits when they pleaſe / Can either Sex aſſume, or both ; ſo ſoft / And uncompounded is their Eſſence pure, / Not ti’d or manacl’d with joynt or limb, / Nor founded on the brittle ſtrength of bones, / Like cumbrous fleſh[…] 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 423–429:
  4. (countable, uncountable) A being; especially, a purely spiritual being.
    • And put to proof his high Supremacy, / Whether upheld by ſtrength, or Chance, or Fate, / Too well I ſee and rue the dire event, / That with ſad overthrow and foul defeat / Hath loſt us Heav’n, and all this mighty Hoſt / In horrible deſtruction laid thus low, / As far as Gods and Heav’nly Eſſences / Can Periſh. 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 132–139:
    • He [Gottfried Wolfgang] had been indulging in fanciful speculations on spiritual essences, until, like Swedenborg, he had an ideal world of his own around him. 1824, Washington Irving, “The Adventure of the German Student”, in The Works of Washington Irving, new edition, volume VII, New York: G. P. Putnam & Company, published 1853, page 55:
  5. (countable, uncountable) A significant feature of something.
  6. (countable, uncountable) The concentrated form of a plant or drug obtained through an extraction or distillation process.
    • essence of Jojoba
  7. (countable, uncountable) An extract or concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter used for flavouring, or as a restorative.
    • vanilla essence
    • There was no one to cook the necessary food that the invalids required to pick up their strength; no fowls to be bought, to make into the essence that is so generally given to fever patients wherever I have been since. 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 150:
    • She bathed the face of the sleeper with some essence, raised her in her arms, and called upon her name. 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter IV, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 78:
  8. (countable, uncountable) Fragrance, a perfume.
    • Our humbler province is to tend the Fair, / Not a leſs pleaſing, tho’ leſs glorious care ; / To ſave the powder from too rude a gale, / Nor let th’ impriſon’d eſſences exhale[…] 1712, Alexander Pope, “The Rape of the Lock”, in The Beauties of Pope, London: G. Kearsley, published 1783, page 36:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
essences Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

time is of the essence · k-essence · of the essence · coffee essence · hyperessence · superessence · essenced · vanilla essence · essenceless · paradessence · unessence · essence peddler · in essence · glabrescence

Hyponyms

gravamen

Relateds

essentialism · essential · gist · quintessential · intrinsicality · essentially

Synonyms

crux · contour · whatness · gist (significant feature) · bouquet · aroma (fragrance) · quiddity · quintessence (inherent nature) · nature · essence · ousia · marrow

Translations (223)

az mahiyyət (inherent nature) · mk су́штина (true nature of something) · pt fragrância (fragrance) · bg съ́щност (inherent nature) · de Essenz (significant feature) · mi ngako (inherent nature) · ja 本質 (true nature of something) · sh суштѝна (inherent nature) · nl wezen (inherent nature) · is kjarni (inherent nature) · ar جَوْهَر (inherent nature) · ka რაობა (inherent nature) · be су́тнасць (true nature of something) · fi perusolemus (inherent nature) · nl essence (concentrated form of a plant) · he תַּמְצִית (concentrated form of a plant) · ru экстра́кт (concentrated form of a plant) · ru существо́ (true nature of something) · ota حقیقت (constituent substance) · cy rhinflas (extract or concentrate used as flavouring) · cs esence (inherent nature) · ar ذَات (inherent nature) · ru ва́жная черта́ (significant feature) · da essens (concentrated form of a plant) · gur esentia (inherent nature) · fa-ira ذات (inherent nature) · it essenza (concentrated form of a plant) · mk су́штина (inherent nature) · ko 본질 (inherent nature) · az cövhər (inherent nature) · nb essens (true nature of something) · nl parfum (fragrance) · gl esencia (extract or concentrate used as flavouring) · ur جَوہَر (inherent nature) · hi सार (inherent nature) · ug ماھىيەت (inherent nature) · de Wesen (significant feature) · sk podstata (inherent nature) · ota مایه (constituent substance) · pl istota (inherent nature) · ur ذات (inherent nature) · pt essência (concentrated form of a plant) · yi תּוך (true nature of something) · uk суть (inherent nature) · ca bessó (true nature of something) · mt essenza (inherent nature) · de Wesen (inherent nature) · mk концентра́т (concentrated form of a plant) · ota حقیقت (true nature of something) · he בושם (fragrance) · he מַהוּת (true nature of something) · mk аро́ма (fragrance) · fi tiiviste (concentrated form of a plant) · got 𐍅𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃 (inherent nature) · nl wezen (true nature of something) · ota مایه (true nature of something) · sv essens (inherent nature) · hi तत्त्व (inherent nature) · ps ماهيت (inherent nature) · sk podstata (inherent nature) · de Parfüm (fragrance) · hy էություն (inherent nature) · id intisari (inherent nature) · tg моҳият (inherent nature) · kk мазмұн (inherent nature) · ms intipati (inherent nature) · es extracto (concentrated form of a plant) · fi olemus (true nature of something) · fa-ira جُوهَر (inherent nature) · ru суть (inherent nature) · hu kivonat (concentrated form of a plant) · nb essens (inherent nature) · sk esencia (extract or concentrate used as flavouring) · id inti (inherent nature) · cmn 本質 /本质 (true nature of something) · th แก่น (inherent nature) · sa धर्मता (inherent nature) · ar مَاهِيَّة (inherent nature) · sl bistvo (inherent nature) · es esencia (fragrance) · es esencia (concentrated form of a plant) · pt essência (inherent nature) · fi esanssi (concentrated form of a plant) · id esensi (inherent nature) · ru концентра́т (concentrated form of a plant) · oc esséncia (inherent nature) · tg ҷавҳар (inherent nature) · it essenza (significant feature) · rsk сущносц (inherent nature) · ru эссе́нция (concentrated form of a plant) · lv būtībā (inherent nature) · mk екстра́кт (concentrated form of a plant) · gl esencia (significant feature) · kk маңыз (inherent nature) · bg съ́щина (true nature of something) · ja 本質 (inherent nature) · nn essens (true nature of something) · gl esencia (concentrated form of a plant) · id hakikat (inherent nature) · ms zat (inherent nature) · he נִיחוֹחַ (fragrance) · th ใจความ (inherent nature) · mi tino (inherent nature) · bg есе́нция (concentrated form of a plant) · lt esmė (inherent nature) · tr esans (fragrance) · fr essence (inherent nature) · et olemus (inherent nature) · mi waitāwhara (fragrance) · fi olemus (inherent nature) · bg парфю́м (fragrance) · th สาระ (inherent nature) · ka არსი (inherent nature) · gl esencia (inherent nature) · ru арома́т (fragrance) · ka სურნელება (fragrance) · pt essência (fragrance) · yue 本質 /本质 (inherent nature) · be суць (inherent nature) · es esencia (inherent nature) · sh bȋt (inherent nature) · sl esenca (concentrated form of a plant) · grc οὐσία (inherent nature) · fr essence (true nature of something) · sl bistvo (true nature of something) · ota حقیقت (inherent nature) · uk су́тність (true nature of something) · ky маңыз (inherent nature) · ro esență (inherent nature) · fi tuntomerkki (significant feature) · yue 精 (concentrated form of a plant) · de Extrakt (concentrated form of a plant) · vi bản chất (inherent nature) · sq thelb (inherent nature) · fi tuoksu (fragrance) · cmn 精 (concentrated form of a plant) · tr mahiyet (inherent nature) · fi henkiolento (spiritual being) · gl esencia (true nature of something) · da koncentrat (concentrated form of a plant) · es esencia (significant feature) · bg същество́ (true nature of something) · pt essência (true nature of something) · fi esanssi (extract or concentrate used as flavouring) · hu esszencia (concentrated form of a plant) · gur essentia (inherent nature) · be су́тнасьць (inherent nature) · ka დედაარსი (inherent nature) · be су́тнасьць (true nature of something) · ur ماہِیَّت (inherent nature) · ga garr (inherent nature) · ota مایه (inherent nature) · sk esencia (inherent nature) · da essens (inherent nature) · hu esszencia (inherent nature) · nn essens (concentrated form of a plant) · it essenza (true nature of something) · ko 본질 (true nature of something) · ca bessó (inherent nature) · kk мән (inherent nature) · gl celme (inherent nature) · ru су́щность (true nature of something) · be су́тнасць (inherent nature) · de Wesen (true nature of something) · he מַהוּת (inherent nature) · fi perusolemus (true nature of something) · it essenza (inherent nature) · sh esèncija (concentrated form of a plant) · th สารัตถะ (inherent nature) · eo esenco (inherent nature) · fi keskeinen piirre (significant feature) · cs esence (true nature of something) · rue су́щность (inherent nature) · sk esencia (concentrated form of a plant) · mn мөн чанар (inherent nature) · hi ज़ात (inherent nature) · nb essens (concentrated form of a plant) · is eðli (inherent nature) · tg зот (inherent nature) · sh есѐнција (concentrated form of a plant) · hu lényeg (inherent nature) · mn мөн чанар (true nature of something) · uk су́тність (inherent nature) · ca essència (inherent nature) · pl esencja (inherent nature) · cy rhin (inherent nature) · de Essenz (concentrated form of a plant) · es esencia (true nature of something) · nl aftreksel (concentrated form of a plant) · bn সার (inherent nature) · de Essenz (fragrance) · fi ainesosa (constituent substance) · el ουσία (inherent nature) · mt essenza (true nature of something) · nn essens (inherent nature) · sk esencia (true nature of something) · fa-ira ماهِیَّت (inherent nature) · hu esszencia (extract or concentrate used as flavouring) · sk extrakt (concentrated form of a plant) · hi जौहर (inherent nature) · cy rhin (true nature of something) · ru су́щность (inherent nature) · sh би̑т (inherent nature) · uz mohiyat (inherent nature) · vi bản chất (true nature of something) · tr cevher (inherent nature) · gl esencia (fragrance) · la essentia (true nature of something) · de Essenz (inherent nature) · sl esenca (fragrance) · bg екстра́кт (concentrated form of a plant) · ur اَصْل (inherent nature) · sh suštìna (inherent nature) · cs podstata (inherent nature) · la essentia (inherent nature) · mk парфе́м (fragrance) · cmn 本質 /本质 (inherent nature) · bg арома́т (fragrance) · nl essentie (inherent nature) · sq esencë (inherent nature) · mi waitāwhara (extract or concentrate used as flavouring) · ps جوهر (inherent nature) · tk mahiyyət (inherent nature)

wikidata: Q12059629