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

Every ten days, programming changes with the phases, which includes different treatments and essential oils designed to increase wellness results based on natural rhythms. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026

For more information on essential oils, check out the full buying guide from BestReviews. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026

Soak cotton balls with an essential oil like peppermint, lavender, or eucalyptus and set them around entry points. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Aug. 2026

For a traditional spray (sans Deet), reach for Badger’s citronella and essential oil formula. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2026

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