Definition of essential oil
: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
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essential oil
noun
From the M-W Editors
First Known Use of essential oil
1674
ESSENTIAL OIL Defined for English Language Learners
essential oil
noun
Definition of essential oil for English Language Learners
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: an oil that comes from a plant, that smells like the plant it comes from, and that is used in perfumes and flavorings
Medical Dictionary
essential oil
noun
medical Definition of essential oil
: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
Learn More about essential oil
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See words that rhyme with essential oil Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about essential oil
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