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

Wild Rice Retreat is a newer option in Bayfield, with activities like yoga, meditation, essential oil-blending classes, and hikes. —Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 14 June 2026

Candles, essential oils, salts and a sound healing playlist do most of the heavy lifting. —Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026

These plants possess aromatic properties or essential oils that repel pests. —Cori Sears, The Spruce, 13 June 2026

There are a number of products on the market that contain essential oils, like clove or citrus, sodium or ammonium derivatives or even acetic acid (vinegar). —Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 13 June 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