any of a class of volatile oils obtained from plants, possessing the odor and other characteristic properties of the plant, used chiefly in the manufacture of perfumes, flavors, and pharmaceuticals.
Origin
1665-75
Examples from the web for essential oil
Fill a spray bottle with purified or distilled water and add several drops of an organic essential oil.
Stir two to six drops of your favorite essential oil into the mixture and mix well.
Nothing whatever has been said of the acetic acid and the essential oil equivalent of spices used in place of benzoate of soda.
Adding the essential oil of thyme to regular foot baths is one option.
We let it cool and added one-half cup of vinegar, which was meant to fight grease, and a few drops of peppermint essential oil.
British Dictionary definitions for essential oil
essential oil
noun
1.
any of various volatile organic oils present in plants, usually containing terpenes and esters and having the odour or flavour of the plant from which they are extracted: used in flavouring and perfumery Compare fixed oilSee also oleoresin
essential oil in Medicine
essential oiln. A volatile oil, usually having the characteristic odor or flavor of the plant from which it is obtained, used to make perfumes and flavorings.
essential oil in Science
essential oil
(ĭ-sěn'shəl) Any of various volatile liquids, such as rose oil or lavender oil, that have a characteristic odor and are produced by plants. Essential oils are composed primarily of terpenes and of lesser quantities of alcohols, aldehydes, esters, phenols, and other compounds that impart particular odors or flavors. They are used to make perfumes, soaps, flavorings, and other products.