- 1
The inherent nature of a thing or idea.countableuncountable
- CHARITY is a virtue of the heart, and not of the hands, ſays an old writer. Gifts and alms are the expreſſions, not the eſſence of this virtue.
- 2
The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory.countableuncountable
- 3
Constituent substance.countableuncountable
- For Spirits when they pleaſe / Can either Sex aſſume, or both ; ſo ſoft / And uncompounded is their Eſſence pure, / Not ti’d or manacl’d with joynt or limb, / Nor founded on the brittle ſtrength of bones, / Like cumbrous fleſh[…]
- 4
A being; especially, a purely spiritual being.countableuncountable
- He [Gottfried Wolfgang] had been indulging in fanciful speculations on spiritual essences, until, like Swedenborg, he had an ideal world of his own around him.
- 5
A significant feature of something.countableuncountable
- 6
The concentrated form of a plant or drug obtained through an extraction or distillation process.countableuncountable
- essence of Jojoba
- 7
An extract or concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter used for flavouring, or as a restorative.countableuncountable
- vanilla essence
- 8
Fragrance, a perfume.countableuncountable
- Our humbler province is to tend the Fair, / Not a leſs pleaſing, tho’ leſs glorious care ; / To ſave the powder from too rude a gale, / Nor let th’ impriſon’d eſſences exhale[…]
syn. whatness · crux · bouquet · essence · nature · contour · ousia · quiddity · marrow