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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Thyme When their essential oils are released and rubbed onto the skin, thyme plants, including creeping thyme, can help keep mosquitoes away. — Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 5 July 2026 First, start by looking for essential oils such as peppermint, jojoba, eucalyptus, tea tree, and lavender, to name a few. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 7 July 2026 Sprinkle cinnamon or cayenne around your pantry, set out garlic cloves, or soak cotton balls in strong essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, or lavender and place them around your home. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for essential oil

Word History

First Known Use

1674, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of essential oil was in 1674

Rhymes for essential oil

See All Rhymes for essential oil

Browse Nearby Words

essentialness
essential oil
essential predication
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Cite this Entry

“Essential oil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essential%20oil. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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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

More from Merriam-Webster on essential oil

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about essential oil

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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