essence
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (4)
- the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience“the gist of the prosecutor's argument”“the heart and soul of the Republican Party”“the nub of the story”Synonyms: kernelsubstancecorecentercentregistheartheart and soulinwardnessmarrowmeatnubpithsumnitty-grittyType of content, cognitive contentKinds stuff, quiddity, bare bones, quintessence, hypostasis
- any substance possessing to a high degree the predominant properties of a plant or drug or other natural product from which it is extractedType of substance
- the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary workSynonyms: effectburdencoregistType of meaning, significance
- a toiletry that emits and diffuses a fragrant odorSynonyms: perfumeType of toiletry, toilet articlesKinds patchouli, toilet water, rose water, potpourri, perfumery, cologne
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Noun inherent nature
- Spanish
- esencia
- French
- essence
- German
- Essenz
- Italian
- essenza
- Portuguese
- essência
- Turkish
- öz
- Russian
- су́щность súščnostʹ
- Arabic
- مَاهِيَّة māhiyya
- Chinese
- 本质 běnzhì
- Japanese
- 本質 honshitsu
23 more languages
- Dutch
- wezen
- Polish
- esencja
- Swedish
- essens
- Greek
- ουσία ousía
- Korean
- 본질 bonjil
- Indonesian
- inti
- Vietnamese
- bản chất
- Hungarian
- lényeg
- Portuguese (PT)
- essência
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 本質 běnzhì, běnzhí
- Catalan
- essència
- Czech
- esence
- Danish
- essens
- Esperanto
- esenco
- Finnish
- olemus
- Georgian
- არსი arsi
- Hebrew
- מַהוּת mahút
- Icelandic
- eðli
- Norwegian
- essens
- Romanian
- esență
- Slovak
- esencia
- Slovenian
- bistvo
- Welsh
- rhin
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: F. essence, L. essentia, formed as if fr. a p. pr. of esse to be. See Is, and cf. Entity.
1. The constituent elementary notions which constitute a complex notion, and must be enumerated to define it; sometimes called the nominal essence.
2. The constituent quality or qualities which belong to any object, or class of objects, or on which they depend for being what they are (distinguished as real essence); the real being, divested of all logical accidents; that quality which constitutes or marks the true nature of anything; distinctive character; hence, virtue or quality of a thing, separated from its grosser parts.
The laws are at present, both in form and essence, the greatest curse that society labors under.— Walter S. Landor
Gifts and alms are the expressions, not the essence of this virtue [charity].— Joseph Addison
The essence of Addison's humor is irony.— William John Courthope
3. Constituent substance.
And uncompounded is their essence pure.— John Milton
4. A being; esp., a purely spiritual being.
As far as gods and heavenly essences Can perish.— John Milton
He had been indulging in fanciful speculations on spiritual essences, until... he had and ideal world of his own around him.— Washington Irving
5. The predominant qualities or virtues of a plant or drug, extracted and refined from grosser matter; or, more strictly, the solution in spirits of wine of a volatile or essential oil; as, the essence of mint, and the like.
The... word essence... scarcely underwent a more complete transformation when from being the abstract of the verb “to be,” it came to denote something sufficiently concrete to be inclosed in a glass bottle.— John Stuart Mill
6. Perfume; odor; scent; or the volatile matter constituting perfume.
Nor let the essences exhale.— Alexander Pope
To perfume; to scent. “Essenced fops.” Joseph Addison
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54