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

Add Oils to a Bath or Shower Another way to benefit from essential oils is to use them in a bath or shower. —Emily Brown, Verywell Health, 21 Oct. 2025

Whole spices last longer as their essential oils aren’t released until ground. —Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 19 Oct. 2025

Encouraged byLilja to share it with others, the scent became the foundation for a brand that now includes a portfolio of fragrances made from Icelandic essential oils. —April Long, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2025

If the scent fades during the season, refresh it with a few more drops of essential oil. —Cody Godwin, USA Today, 7 Oct. 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