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.
This silent humidifier also features a dim, ambient light and can be used as an essential oil diffuser. Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 1 Jan. 2026 Various teas, foods, essential oils, and cosmetic products may contain chamomile. Wendy Wisner, Health, 30 Dec. 2025 Ingestion of 10 to 30 milliliters (ml) of clove essential oil—much more than what’s in water—can cause liver damage and overdose. Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 28 Dec. 2025 Set out cotton balls soaked in vinegar or peppermint or eucalyptus essential oils to repel mice. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Essential oil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essential%20oil. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.

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

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