essential

- 5 dictionary results

–adjective

absolutely necessary; indispensable: Discipline is essential in an army.

pertaining to or constituting the essence of a thing.

noting or containing an essence of a plant, drug, etc.

being such by its very nature or in the highest sense; natural; spontaneous: essential happiness.

Mathematics .

(of a singularity of a function of a complex variable) noting that the Laurent series at the point has an infinite number of terms with negative powers.

(of a discontinuity) noting that the function is discontinuous and has no limit at the point. Compare removable ( def. 2 ) .

–noun

a basic, indispensable, or necessary element; chief point: Concentrate on essentials rather than details.

Use essential in a Sentence

See images of essential

Search essential on the Web

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English essencial < Medieval Latin essenciālis for Late Latin essentiālis. See essence, -al¹

—Related forms

es·sen·tial·ly, adverb

es·sen·tial·ness, noun

pre·es·sen·tial, noun, adjective

pre·es·sen·tial·ly, adverb

qua·si-es·sen·tial, adjective

qua·si-es·sen·tial·ly, adverb

sub·es·sen·tial, adjective

sub·es·sen·tial·ly, adverb

sub·es·sen·tial·ness, noun

—Synonyms
1. fundamental, basic, inherent, intrinsic, vital. See necessary. 2. Essential, inherent, intrinsic refer to that which is in the natural composition of a thing. Essential suggests that which is in the very essence or constitution of a thing: Oxygen and hydrogen are essential in water. Inherent means inborn or fixed from the beginning as a permanent quality or constituent of a thing: properties inherent in iron. Intrinsic implies belonging to the nature of a thing itself, and comprised within it, without regard to external considerations or accidentally added properties: the intrinsic value of diamonds.

—Antonyms
2. incidental, extraneous, extrinsic; accidental.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2011.
Cite This Source

Link To essential

Explore the Visual Thesaurus »

Related Words for : essential

indispensable, necessary, necessity, requirement, requisite

View more related words »

World English Dictionary

essential (ɪˈsɛnʃəl)

— *adj*
1.	vitally important; absolutely necessary
2.	basic; fundamental: the essential feature
3.	completely realized; absolute; perfect: essential beauty
4.	biochem (of an amino acid or a fatty acid) necessary for the normal growth of an organism but not synthesized by the organism and therefore required in the diet
5.	derived from or relating to an extract of a plant, drug, etc: an essential oil
6.	logic (of a property) guaranteed by the identity of the subject; necessary. Thus, if having the atomic number 79 is an essential property of gold, nothing can be gold unless it has that atomic number
7.	music denoting or relating to a note that belongs to the fundamental harmony of a chord or piece
8.	pathol (of a disease) having no obvious external cause: essential hypertension
9.	geology (of a mineral constituent of a rock) necessary for defining the classification of a rock. Its absence alters the rock's name and classification

— n
10.	something fundamental or indispensable: a sharp eye is an essential for a printer
11.	music an essential note

essentiality

— n

es'sentialness

— n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Word Origin & History

essential

mid-14c., "that is such by its essence," from L.L. essentialis , from essentia (see essence). Meaning "pertaining to essence" is from late 14c., that of "constituting the essence of something" is from 1540s; that of "necessary" is from 1520s. Essentials "indispensible elements" is from early 16c. Related: Essentially ; essentialism (1939); essentialist ..

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

Medical Dictionary

es·sen·tial definition

Pronunciation: /i-ˈsen-chəl/
Function: adj
1 : being, relating to, or containing an essence essential odor>
2 : being a substance that is not synthesized by the body in a quantity sufficient for normal health and growth and that must be obtained from the diet < essential fatty acids> compare nonessential
3 : having no obvious or known cause : IDIOPATHIC < essential disease>

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2007 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

essential es·sen·tial (ĭ-sěn'shəl)
adj.

Constituting or being part of the essence of something; inherent.
Basic or indispensable; necessary.
Of, relating to, or being a dysfunctional condition or a disease whose cause is unknown.
Of, relating to, or being a substance that is required for normal functioning but cannot be synthesized by the body and therefore must be included in the diet.