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.
Usage examples of "volatile oils".
Next to the essential oils of lemon and orange, that obtained from Peppermint enjoys a high reputation among the numerous volatile oils produced by Italy.
The berries contain both fixed and volatile oils, the former, known as Oil of Bays, includes laurostearine, the ether of lauric acid.
Even from a distance, the volatile oils were enough to make her eyes water.
Mile upon mile of ulumen, the plants all in full bloom, pods swollen with volatile oils.
So he didn't protest, but followed Hoechst, wafting in her trail of rustling silks and expensive floral triterpenoids and volatile oils.
The sun up here was hot and the volatile oils, exuded by the underbrush, scented the still air with camphor.
They were so heavily impregnated with volatile oils that they remained tough and flexible even after they’.