Definitions for essence
ˈɛs ənsessence

Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. kernel, substance, core, center, centre, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-grittynoun

   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"

2. essencenoun

   any substance possessing to a high degree the predominant properties of a plant or drug or other natural product from which it is extracted

3. effect, essence, burden, core, gistnoun

   the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

4. perfume, essencenoun

   a toiletry that emits and diffuses a fragrant odor

Wiktionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. essencenoun

   The inherent nature of a thing or idea.

2. essencenoun

   A significant feature of something.

3. essencenoun

   The concentrated form of a plant or drug obtained through a distillation process.

4. essencenoun

   Fragrance, a perfume.

5. essencenoun

   The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ESSENCEnoun

   1.Essence is but the very nature of any being, whether it be actually existing or no: a rose in Winter has an essence; in Summer it has existence also. Isaac Watts Logick.

   Etymology: essentia, Latin.

   One thinks the soul is air; another, fire;
   Another, blood diffus’d about the Heart;
   Another faith, the elements conspire,
   And to her essence each doth give a part. Davies.

   I could wish the nature of a spirit were more unknown to me than it is, that I might believe its existence, without meddling at all with its essence. Henry More, Divine Dialogues.

   He wrote the nature of things upon their names: he could view essences in themselves, and read forms without the comment of their respective properties. Robert South, Sermons.

   2. Formal existence; that which makes any thing to be what it is.

   The visible church of Jesus is one in outward profession of those things, which supernaturally appertain to the very essence of Christianity, and are necessarily required in every particular Christian man. Richard Hooker, b. iii. s. 1.

   3. Existence; the quality of being.

   In such cogitations have I stood, with such a darkness and heaviness of mind, that I might have been persuaded to have resigned my very essence. Philip Sidney.

   4. Being; existent person.

   As far as gods, and heav’nly essences
   Can perish. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. i. l. 138.

   5. Species of existent being.

   Here be four of you, as differing as the four elements; and yet you are friends: as for Eupolis, because he is temperate, and without passion, he may be the fifth essence. Francis Bacon.

   6. Constituent substance.

   For spirits, when they please,
   Can either sex assume, or both; so soft
   And uncompounded is their essence pure;
   Not ty’d or manacled with joint or limb. John Milton, Pa. Lost.

   7. The cause of existence. This sense is not proper.

   She is my essence; and I leave to be,
   If I be not by her fair influence
   Foster’d, illumin’d, cherish’d, kept alive. William Shakespeare.

   8. [In medicine.] The chief properties or virtues of any simple, or composition collected in a narrow compass.9. Perfume; odour; scent.

   Our humble province is to ’tend the fair;
   To save the powder from too rude a gale,
   Nor let th’ imprison’d essences exhale. Alexander Pope, Rape of the Lock.

2. To Essenceverb

   To perfume; to scent.

   Etymology: from essence.

   The husband rails, from morning to night, at essenced fops and tawdry courtiers. Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 128.

Wikipedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Essence

   Essence (Latin: essentia) is a polysemic term, that is, it may have significantly different meanings and uses. It is used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties or attributes that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it loses its identity. Essence is contrasted with accident: a property or attribute the entity or substance has contingently, without which the substance can still retain its identity. The concept originates rigorously with Aristotle (although it can also be found in Plato), who used the Greek expression to ti ên einai (τὸ τί ἦν εἶναι, literally meaning "the what it was to be" and corresponding to the scholastic term quiddity) or sometimes the shorter phrase to ti esti (τὸ τί ἐστι, literally meaning "the what it is" and corresponding to the scholastic term (haecceity(thisness) for the same idea. This phrase presented such difficulties for its Latin translators that they coined the word essentia (English "essence") to represent the whole expression. For Aristotle and his scholastic followers, the notion of essence is closely linked to that of definition (ὁρισμός horismos). In the history of Western philosophy, essence has often served as a vehicle for doctrines that tend to individuate different forms of existence as well as different identity conditions for objects and properties; in this logical meaning, the concept has given a strong theoretical and common-sense basis to the whole family of logical theories based on the "possible worlds" analogy set up by Leibniz and developed in the intensional logic from Carnap to Kripke, which was later challenged by "extensionalist" philosophers such as Quine.

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Essencenoun

   the constituent elementary notions which constitute a complex notion, and must be enumerated to define it; sometimes called the nominal essence

2. Essencenoun

   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

3. Essencenoun

   constituent substance

4. Essencenoun

   a being; esp., a purely spiritual being

5. Essencenoun

   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

6. Essencenoun

   perfume; odor; scent; or the volatile matter constituting perfume

7. Essenceverb

   to perfume; to scent

8. Etymology: [F. essence, L. essentia, formed as if fr. a p. pr. of esse to be. See Is, and cf. Entity.]

Freebase(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Essence

   In philosophy, essence is the attribute or set of attributes that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it loses its identity. Essence is contrasted with accident: a property that the entity or substance has contingently, without which the substance can still retain its identity. The concept originates with Aristotle, who used the Greek expression to ti ên einai, literally 'the what it was to be', or sometimes the shorter phrase to ti esti, literally 'the what it is,' for the same idea. This phrase presented such difficulties for his Latin translators that they coined the word essentia to represent the whole expression. For Aristotle and his scholastic followers the notion of essence is closely linked to that of definition. In the history of western thought, essence has often served as a vehicle for doctrines that tend to individuate different forms of existence as well as different identity conditions for objects and properties; in this eminently logical meaning, the concept has given a strong theoretical and common-sense basis to the whole family of logical theories based on the "possible worlds" analogy set up by Leibniz and developed in the intensional logic from Carnap to Kripke, which was later challenged by "extensionalist" philosophers such as Quine.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Essence

   es′ens, n. the inner distinctive nature of anything: the qualities which make any object what it is: a being: the extracted virtues of any drug: the solution in spirits of wine of a volatile or essential oil: a perfume.—adj. Essen′tial, relating to or containing the essence: necessary to the existence of a thing: indispensable or important in the highest degree: highly rectified: pure.—n. something necessary: a leading principle.—n. Essential′ity, the quality of being essential: an essential part.—adv. Essen′tially.—n. Essen′tialness. [Fr.,—L. essentia—essens, -entis, assumed pr.p. of esse, to be.]

Editors Contribution(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. essence

   The just and fair qualities of the universes truth expressed through our body, brain, heart, mind, soul, spirit, subconscious, conscience and consciousness.

   The essence of our soul is the universes truth.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 16, 2020  

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. essence

   Song lyrics by essence -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by essence on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Meaning
   • Substance
   • Toiletry

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'essence' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4832

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'essence' in Nouns Frequency: #1879

Anagrams for essence »

1. senesce

How to pronounce essence?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say essence in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of essence in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of essence in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of essence in a Sentence

1. Jen Ramsey:

   Draw on your inner essence & light up your world.

2. Backing Netanyahu:

   This is truly the essence of democracy and we should be blessed with it, with God's help the State of Israel will prevail. Thank you very much. Go to vote.

3. Yasuhiro Nakasone:

   To resolutely open the path to the nation's future ... is the essence of politics.

4. Czon:

   The woman’s essence has always been the most powerful force, much like nature has always been Satan’s church

5. Adam Kinzinger:

   If you ever have any doubt whether the Cold War is back on, I mean these are the kind of maneuvers that show that it is, i think there has been a re-establishment, probably not to the intensity it was in the '80s, but a re-establishment of, in essence, kind of Cold War principles, where, you know, at that time, it was all a show of force from both sides.

Popularity rank by frequency of use