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

Listerine contains thymol, an essential oil with antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties.12 6. —Cathy Nelson, Verywell Health, 28 Mar. 2025

Consider adding a carrier oil, like coconut oil, to the dish to dilute the essential oils and extend the diffusion time. —Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2025

Ditto for using a panty liner as an emergency Band-Aid on your heel (minus the essential oil). —Inga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025

During his tours to ylang-ylang plantations and essential oil distilleries, Rasambainarivo shows travelers the intricate process of flower harvesting and distillation. —Emese MacZko, Forbes, 19 Mar. 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