essential

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl/ UK /ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #5552

Meanings

1

adj
Extremely important and necessary.

Water is essential for all living things.
2

adj
Basic and fundamental; forming the central nature of something.

The essential idea of the plan is to save money.
3

adj
Containing the concentrated extract of a plant.

She added a few drops of lavender essential oil to her bath.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · extremely important and... crucial critical indispensable necessary vital

2 adj · basic and fundamental;... basic fundamental

Opposites

inessentialnon-essentialnonessentialunessential

Word family

Forms essentials

Derived forms bioessentialcoessentialessentialismessentialistessentialityessentializationessentialize essentiallyessentialnessquasiessentialquintessentialsemiessential

Related forms essenceessentials

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

Etymology

From Late Latin essentiālis, from Latin essentia (“being, essence”).

*h₁es- Proto-Indo-European essentiālis la-lat essentia Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# essential

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl/
**Frequency rank:** 5552

## Meanings
1. Extremely important and necessary.
2. Basic and fundamental; forming the central nature of something.
3. Containing the concentrated extract of a plant.

## Examples
- Water is essential for all living things.
- The essential idea of the plan is to save money.
- She added a few drops of lavender essential oil to her bath.

## Antonyms
- inessential
- non-essential
- nonessential
- unessential

## Derived Forms
- bioessential
- coessential
- essentialism
- essentialist
- essentiality
- essentialization
- essentialize
- essentially
- essentialness
- quasiessential
- quintessential
- semiessential

## Related Forms
- essence
- essentials

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₁es-
- Root: essentiālis
- Root: essentia

## Etymology
From Late Latin essentiālis, from Latin essentia (“being, essence”).

## AI Etymology
Essential comes from Late Latin essentiālis, from Latin essentia (“being, essence”). In current use, the main senses are “Extremely important and necessary” and “Basic and fundamental; forming the central nature of something”. Its deeper ancestry includes Proto-Indo-European *h₁es-.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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