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

It’s scented with natural essential oils. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026

Eason recommends spraying water mixed with essential oils to repel bed bugs. —Emily Benda Gaylord, The Spruce, 25 Feb. 2026

This unique shop features incense, candles, crystals, essential oils, artisanal teas, and an eclectic selection of home decor and pottery. —Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 25 Feb. 2026

For example, adding a bit of fresh mint is not the same as adding a drop of peppermint essential oil to your tea. —Sherri Gordon, Health, 21 Feb. 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