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

Amara suggests a soak using apple cider vinegar and essential oils—peppermint, eucalyptus, and lime—to dissolve buildup. —Larry Stansbury, Essence, 23 Sep. 2025

Forget about using essential oils, specific plants such as lavender or lemongrass, or sonic devices as flea repellents. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2025

Smoothing round poppy seeds and sea salt—which do the gentle buffing—come suspended in a hunk of detoxifying French blue clay, nourishing olive fruit oil, and zingy peppermint essential oil, the latter of which wakes you up better than any iPhone alarm. —Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025

The trio, working in tandem with a blend of 30 essential oils and extracts, comes together to condition hair follicles, relieve dry scalp, smooth split ends, and enhance hair elasticity. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 12 Sep. 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