Essence: The Part Without Which It Would Not Be Itself
The essence of something is what makes it what it is. The word comes straight from the Latin verb to be.
The essence of a thing is the quality that makes it that thing and not another. Philosophers built the word from *esse*, the Latin verb to be: an essence is the part of a thing's being that cannot be removed. In a kitchen it means something more concrete: a concentrated extract, like vanilla essence.
- The core nature of something. *The essence of the argument.*
- A concentrated extract. *A few drops of vanilla essence.*
- In essence — fundamentally. *In essence, they agreed.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | essence | The essence of it. |
| Adjective | essential | Essential reading. |
| Adverb | essentially | Essentially the same. |
| Plural | essences | Floral essences. |
| Related | essential oil | Lavender essential oil. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Time is of the essence in this contract.A legal phrase: deadlines are binding terms.
- In essence, the two proposals are identical.In essence introduces a summary.
- Add a drop of almond essence.The kitchen sense.
Essence, substance and core
- Essence — what a thing fundamentally is
- Substance — the material, or the meaningful content of an argument
- Core — the centre, more physical
- Gist — the main point of something said
- Quintessence — the purest example, literally the fifth element
From Latin *essentia*, being, coined by Roman writers to translate a Greek philosophical term, from *esse*, to be. *Quintessence* is the fifth essence of medieval science, the substance the heavens were thought to be made of.
What does *time is of the essence* mean?
That the dates in an agreement are essential terms. Missing them is a breach, not a delay.
Essence or extract in cooking?
Extract is usually the real thing, drawn from the plant. Essence is often synthetic or diluted, though labels vary by country.