Essence

n. [Fr. essence, Pr. & Pg. essencia, Sp. esencia, It. essenzia, essenza, Lat. essentia, from esse, to be.]

1. The constituent elementary notions which constitute a complex notion, and must be enumerated to define it; the formal or formative nature; — sometimes called the nominal essence.
2. The constituent qualities which belong to any object, or class of objects, or on which they depend for being what they are; this is distinguished as real essence; essential quality; — hence, characters common to a class contrasted with the form taken by an individual or species; distinctive character.

The laws are at present, both in form and essence, the greatest curse that society labors under. Landor. 3. A being conceived by the mind and forming an object of thought; a purely spiritual being; an existing being. “Heavenly essences.” Milton. He had been indulging in fanciful speculations on spiritual essences, until . . . he had an ideal world of his own around him. W. Irving. 4. The predominant qualities or virtues of a plant or drug, extracted and refined from grosser matter; or, more strictly, the solution in spirits of wine of a volatile or essential oil; as, the essence of mint, and the like. The . . . word essence . . . scarcely underwent a more complete transformation when from being the abstract of the verb “to be,” it came to denote something sufficiently concrete to be enclosed in a glass bottle. J. S. Mill. 5. Perfume; odor; scent; or the volatile matter constituting perfume. Nor let the imprisoned essences exhale. Pope.