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

Despite its lightweight feel, the formula features a blend of 16 essential oils—pracaxi seed oil, bay laurel leaf oil, bergamot oil, and fennel seed oil among them. —Deanna Pai, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026

Pink, purple, yellow, red, orange, green, white Historically used in traditional medicine and now beloved as an essential oil, verbena is also a beautiful self-seeding flower with eye-catching purple blooms. —Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 26 Apr. 2026

Soak cotton balls in essential oils and place them in containers throughout your yard, or use them as a spray and apply them to the foliage. —Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 26 Apr. 2026

The Be Gentle, Be Kind Detangling Spray is no different and is free from fragrance and essential oils, two common ingredients that can irritate sensitive skin. —Sarah Felbin, Allure, 26 Apr. 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