essential oil

noun

: any of a class of volatile oils that give plants their characteristic odors and are used especially in perfumes and flavorings, and for aromatherapy compare fixed oil

Examples of essential oil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Wellness Junkie Belnu Chai Fleur, $170 For the clean-fragrance-only crew, Belnu’s newest paraben- and phthalate-free scent blends essential oils with alcohol, water and floral-spicy notes of cinnamon, cardamom and violet. —Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 25 Nov. 2025

While essential oils are safe for the toilet bowl, they should never be put inside the toilet tank. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 23 Nov. 2025

Studies in this realm have typically been small and often rely on essential oils rather than real-world exposure to nature, for instance. —Paul Nicolaus, Outside, 22 Nov. 2025

Some people also turn to essential oils such as eucalyptus or tea tree oil, or sip herbal teas made with nettle, sage, ginger, or honey and lemon. —Daryl Austin, USA Today, 19 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1674, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for essential oil

• aerofoil
• cinquefoil
• hydrofoil
• quatrefoil
• airfoil
• benzoyl
• despoil
• embroil
• etoile
• gargoyle
• recoil
• subsoil

Medical Definition

essential oil

noun

: any of a large class of volatile odoriferous oils of vegetable origin that give plants their characteristic odors and often other properties, that are obtained from various parts of the plants (as flowers, leaves, or bark) by steam distillation, expression, or extraction, that are usually mixtures of compounds (as aldehydes or esters), and that are used often in the form of essences in perfumes, flavorings, and pharmaceutical preparations

called also ethereal oil, volatile oil

compare fatty oil, fixed oil