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

The air purifier has a whisper-quiet operation level and aromatherapy sponges for adding essential oils. —Nora Colomer May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 10 July 2025

This lovely scent will probably remind you of summer, with its mix of lemon, neroli, cardamom, and juniper essential oils. —Daley Quinn, Glamour, 3 July 2025

The artfully natural candles are made with soy wax and essential oils like lavender and chamomile − which help people relax and feel less stressed. —Dakota Barnes-Rush, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025

Countertops: For daily cleaning, spray with a homemade mix of vinegar, water, and essential oils (like lemon or tea tree). —Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 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