The Collaborative International Dictionary
Essential \Es*sen"tial\ ([e^]s*s[e^]n"sjal), a. [Cf. F. essentiel. See Essence.]
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Belonging to the essence, or that which makes an object, or class of objects, what it is.
Majestic as the voice sometimes became, there was forever in it an essential character of plaintiveness.
--Hawthorne. -
Hence, really existing; existent.
Is it true, that thou art but a name, And no essential thing?
--Webster (1623). -
Important in the highest degree; indispensable to the attainment of an object; indispensably necessary.
Judgment's more essential to a general Than courage.
--Denham.How to live? -- that is the essential question for us.
--H. Spencer. Containing the essence or characteristic portion of a substance, as of a plant; highly rectified; pure; hence, unmixed; as, an essential oil. ``Mine own essential horror.''
--Ford.(Mus.) Necessary; indispensable; -- said of those tones which constitute a chord, in distinction from ornamental or passing tones.
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(Med.) Idiopathic; independent of other diseases.
Essential character (Biol.), the prominent characteristics which serve to distinguish one genus, species, etc., from another.
Essential disease, Essential fever (Med.), one that is not dependent on another.
Essential oils (Chem.), a class of volatile oils, extracted from plants, fruits, or flowers, having each its characteristic odor, and hot burning taste. They are used in essences, perfumery, etc., and include many varieties of compounds; as lemon oil is a terpene, oil of bitter almonds an aldehyde, oil of wintergreen an ethereal salt, etc.; -- called also volatile oils in distinction from the fixed or nonvolatile.
WordNet
n. fragrant yellow oil obtained from the lemon peel
Usage examples of "lemon oil".
Although the room smelled comfortingly familiar, of spices, of the burning wood fire, of the lemon oil the robots rubbed into the antiques, she felt cast adrift.
The nauseous taste may be disguised by administering it covered by Lemon oil, Sassafras oil and other essential oils, or floating on Peppermint or Cinnamon water, or coffee, or shaken up with glycerine, or given in fresh or warmed milk, the dose varying from 1 to 4 teaspoonsful.
The mist of the centuries seemed to hang in the air, to film the hard wooden furniture as if with a new coat of lemon oil.
She was polishing the dark wood of her front door with lemon oil, a sure sign that her son and his family were coming to dinner.
The air within the library smelled of deep age tinged with musk and lemon oil.
The clean fragrance of lemon oil drifted up from his hands, filling her nostrils.
Just the quiet of it, the scents of lemon oil rubbed into wood by her own hand, the subtle sweetness of spring flowers brought in from her own yard stroked her frayed nerves.
KENNIT MOISTENED HIS KERCHIEF IN LEMON OIL AND SMOOTHED IT OVER HIS BEARD AND MUSTACHE.
Get a clean rag with a little lemon oil on it and give it another polish.