essence

1 the quality or qualities that make a thing what it is <the belief that power ultimately rests with the people is the very essence of democracy> Synonyms being, essentiality, nature, quiddity, quintessence, soul, stuff, substance Related Words heart, spirit; alpha and omega, center, core, keynote, marrow, pith, seat; embodiment, epitome, incarnation, manifestation, personification; aspect, attribute, feature, property; gist, kernel, nub Phrases name of the game

2 the central part or aspect of something under consideration <presented the essence of weeks of testimony in a 20-minute appeal to the jury> Synonyms bottom line, bull's-eye, centerpiece, core, crux, gist, heart, kernel, keynote, meat, meat and potatoes, net, nub, nubbin, nucleus, pith, pivot, point, root, sumRelated Words course, direction, drift, tenor; body, content, substance; hypothesis, proposition, purport, subject, theme, thesis