1. essence(n = noun.cognition) center, centre, core, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nitty-gritty, nub, pith, substance, sum - 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"
is a kind of cognitive content, content, mental object
has particulars: bare bones, hypostasis, haecceity, quiddity, quintessence, stuff
Derived form adjective essential3
2. essence(n = noun.substance) - any substance possessing to a high degree the predominant properties of a plant or drug or other natural product from which it is extracted;
is a kind of substance
Derived form adjective essential4
3. essence(n = noun.communication) burden, core, effect, gist - the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work;
is a kind of import, meaning, significance, signification
4. essence(n = noun.artifact) perfume - a toiletry that emits and diffuses a fragrant odor;
is a kind of toilet articles, toiletry
has particulars: cologne, cologne water, eau de cologne, pachouli, patchouli, patchouly, perfumery, potpourri, rose water, eau de toilette, toilet water
1. The constituent elementary notions which constitute a complex notion, and must be enumerated to define it; sometimes called the nominal essence. [1913 Webster]
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. [1913 Webster]
"The laws are at present, both in form and essence, the greatest curse that society labors under." [1913 Webster]
"Gifts and alms are the expressions, not the essence of this virtue [charity]." [1913 Webster]
"The essence of Addison's humor is irony." [1913 Webster]
3. Constituent substance. [1913 Webster]
"And uncompounded is their essence pure." [1913 Webster]
4. A being; esp., a purely spiritual being. [1913 Webster]
"As far as gods and heavenly essences
Can perish." [1913 Webster]
"He had been indulging in fanciful speculations on spiritual essences, until . . . he had and ideal world of his own around him." [1913 Webster]
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. [1913 Webster]
"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." [1913 Webster]
6. Perfume; odor; scent; or the volatile matter constituting perfume. [1913 Webster]
"Nor let the essences exhale." [1913 Webster]
To perfume; to scent. Addison. [1913 Webster]
essence, n.
1 the indispensable quality or element identifying a thing or determining its character; fundamental nature or inherent characteristics.
2 a an extract obtained by distillation etc., esp. a volatile oil. b a perfume or scent, esp. made from a plant or animal substance.
3 the constituent of a plant that determines its chemical properties.
4 an abstract entity; the reality underlying a phenomenon or all phenomena.
Idiom:
in essence fundamentally. of the essence indispensable, vital.
Etymology:
ME f. OF f. L essentia f. esse be
N existence, being, entity, ens, esse, subsistence, reality, actuality, positiveness, fact, matter of fact, sober reality, truth, actual existence, presence, coexistence, stubborn fact, hard fact, not a dream, no joke, center of life, essence, inmost nature, inner reality, vital principle, ontology, existing, existent, under the sun, in existence, extant, afloat, afoot, on foot, current, prevalent, undestroyed, real, actual, positive, absolute, true, substantial, substantive, self-existing, self-existent, essential, well-founded, well-grounded, unideal, unimagined, not potential, authentic, actually, in fact, in point of fact, in reality, indeed, de facto, ipso facto, ens rationis, ergo sum cogito, thinkest thou existence doth depend on time?.
N intrinsicality, inbeing, inherence, inhesion, subjectiveness, ego, egohood, essence, noumenon, essentialness, essential part, quintessence, incarnation, quiddity, gist, pith, marrow, core, sap, lifeblood, backbone, heart, soul, important part, principle, nature, constitution, character, type, quality, crasis, diathesis, habit, temper, temperament, spirit, humor, grain, disposition, endowment, capacity, capability, moods, declensions, features, aspects, peculiarities, idiosyncrasy, oddity, idiocrasy, diagnostics, derived from within, subjective, intrinsic, intrinsical, fundamental, normal, implanted, inherent, essential, natural, innate, inborn, inbred, ingrained, inwrought, coeval with birth, genetous, haematobious, syngenic, radical, incarnate, thoroughbred, hereditary, inherited, immanent, congenital, congenite, connate, running in the blood, ingenerate, ingenite, indigenous, in the grain, bred in the bone, instinctive, inward, internal, to the manner born, virtual, characteristic, invariable, incurable, incorrigible, ineradicable, fixed, intrinsically, at bottom, in the main, in effect, practically, virtually, substantially, au fond, fairly, character is higher than intellect, come give us a taste of your quality, magnos homines virtute metimur non fortuna, non numero haec judicantur sed pondere, vital spark of heavenly flame.
N gaseity, vaporousness, flatulence, flatulency, volatility, aeration, aerification, elastic fluid, gas, air, vapor, ether, steam, essence, fume, reek, effluvium, flatus, cloud, ammonia, ammoniacal gas, volatile alkali, vacuum, partial vacuum, pneumatics, pneumatostatics, aerostatics, aerodynamics, gasmeter, gasometer, air bladder, swimming bladder, sound, (of a fish), gaseous, aeriform, ethereal, aerial, airy, vaporous, volatile, evaporable, flatulent.
N odor, smell, odorament, scent, effluvium, emanation, exhalation, fume, essence, trail, nidor, redolence, sense of smell, scent, act of smelling, olfaction, olfactories, fragrance, odorant, bloodhound, hound, spoor, odorous, odoriferous, smelling, reeking, foul-smelling, strong- scented, redolent, graveolent, nidorous, pungent, putrid, foul, olfactory, quick-scented.
N fragrance, aroma, redolence, perfume, bouquet, essence, scent, sweet smell, aromatic perfume, agalloch, agallochium, aloes wood, bay rum, calambac, calambour, champak, horehound, lign-aloes, marrubium, mint, muskrat, napha water, olibanum, spirit of myrcia, essential oil, incense, musk, frankincense, pastil, pastille, myrrh, perfumes of Arabia, otto, ottar, attar, bergamot, balm, civet, potpourri, pulvil, nosegay, scentbag, sachet, smelling bottle, vinaigrette, eau de Cologne, toilet water, lotion, after-shave lotion, thurification, perfumer, eucalyptus oil, pinene, fragrant, aromatic, redolent, spicy, savory, balmy, scented, sweet-smelling, sweet-scented, perfumed, perfumatory, thuriferous, fragrant as a rose, muscadine, ambrosial.
N meaning, signification, significance, sense, expression, import, purport, force, drift, tenor, spirit, bearing, coloring, scope, substance, gist, essence, marrow, spirit, matter, subject, subject matter, argument, text, sum and substance, general meaning, broad meaning, substantial meaning, colloquial meaning, literal meaning, plain meaning, simple meaning, natural meaning, unstrained meaning, true meaning, honest meaning, &c 543 prima facie meaning, letter of the law, literally, after acceptation, synonym, implication, allusion, suggestion, figure of speech, acceptation, meaning, expressive, suggestive, allusive, significant, significative, significatory, pithy, full of meaning, pregnant with meaning, declaratory, intelligible, literal, synonymous, tantamount, implied, explicit, to that effect, that is to say.