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

Holistic Hair Oils Applying natural or essential oils to your scalp may stimulate hair growth. —Carrie Madormo, Rn, Health, 30 Apr. 2025

The store carries a variety of products, including tallow, essential oils, mushroom coffee and bulk herbs. —Tina Harbuck, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025

Designed with sensitive skin in mind, this lippie is free from fragrance, essential oils, flavor and other common irritants. —Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Find blankets and pillows to keep you and your guests cozy, and make sure to stock up on plenty of bug spray, bug-repellent fans, and essential oils (citronella and lavender work well) to keep your summer evenings pest-free. —Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 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