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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

essence

/ˈɛsəns/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:55
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What does essence mean?

noun

  1. The inherent nature of a thing or idea.
  2. The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory.
  3. Constituent substance.
More meanings (6)

noun

  1. A being; especially, a purely spiritual being.
  2. A significant feature of something.
  3. The concentrated form of a plant or drug obtained through an extraction or distillation process.
  4. An extract or concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter used for flavouring, or as a restorative.
  5. Fragrance, a perfume.

proper noun

  1. A female given name of African-American usage.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈɛsəns/

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

She is my essence, and I leave to be If I be not by her fair influence Fostered, illumined, cherished, kept alive.
William ShakespeareThe Complete Works of William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg ebook #100
It is the essence of comradeship and fraternal love, without thought of pleasure or gain, but rather for moral support and inspiration.
Charles A. EastmanThe Soul of the Indian: An InterpretationProject Gutenberg ebook #340
More book examples (3)
Memorising utterly destroys the freedom of reminiscence, takes away the spontaneity, and substitutes a mastery of form for a mastery of essence.
Sara Cone BryantHow to Tell Stories to Children, and Some Stories to TellProject Gutenberg ebook #474
Its stomach, burned by pungent spices, will find the Crucifera insipid and uneatable, though its piquancy is enhanced by essence of sulphur.
Jean-Henri FabreMore Hunting WaspsTranslated by Alexander Teixeira de MattosProject Gutenberg ebook #3462
And in this sense it is still used, when we speak of the essence of PARTICULAR things, without giving them any name.
John LockeAn Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 2 MDCXC, Based on the 2nd Edition, Books 3 and 4Project Gutenberg ebook #10616