essence
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essence¹
- /ˈɛsəns/
Rhymes with -ɛsəns
Where it comes from
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").
noun essences
-
The inherent nature of a thing or idea.
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.
Similar: quintessence
- The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory.
- 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[…]
- 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 /
-
A significant feature of something.
Similar: gist
- The concentrated form of a plant or drug obtained through an extraction or distillation process. essence of Jojoba
- An extract or concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter used for flavouring, or as a restorative. vanilla essence
-
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[…]
Similar: aroma
Similar: whatness, crux, bouquet, essence, nature, contour, ousia, quiddity, marrow
Essence²
proper noun
- A female given name of African-American usage.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: substance, nitty-gritty, inwardness, gist, effect, sum, burden, center, kernel, perfume, heart, marrow, meat, core, pith, nub
Translations
Every language
noun inherent nature
| Español | esencia |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 본질 bonjil |
| 日本語 | 本質 honshitsu |
| 中文 | 本質 /本质 běnzhì, běnzhí |
| हिन्दी | तत्त्व tattva, ज़ात zāt, जौहर jauhar, सार sār |
| Português | essência |
| Français | essence |
| Deutsch | Wesen, Essenz |
| Italiano | essenza |
| Ελληνικά | ουσία ousía |
| Română | esență |
| Русский | су́щность súščnostʹ, суть sutʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | bản chất |
| العربية | جَوْهَر jawhar, مَاهِيَّة māhiyya, ذَات ḏāt |
| עברית | מַהוּת mahút |
noun true nature of something
| Español | esencia |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 본질 bonjil |
| 日本語 | 本質 honshitsu |
| 中文 | 本質 /本质 běnzhì, běnzhí |
| Português | essência |
| Français | essence |
| Deutsch | Wesen |
| Italiano | essenza |
| Русский | су́щность súščnostʹ, существо́ suščestvó |
| Tiếng Việt | bản chất |
| עברית | מַהוּת mahút |
noun significant feature
| Español | esencia |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Essenz, Wesen |
| Italiano | essenza |
| Русский | ва́жная черта́ vážnaja čertá |
Talk about this word "essence." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/essence. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. essence. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/essence "essence." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/essence.Cite this
@misc{essence_2026,
title = {essence},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/essence},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
