Word of the Day: Essential
essential
es-sen-tial / ĭ-sĕn-shəl
adjective
1. indispensable, completely necessary
A dictionary is an essential tool for a quality education; you cannot do your best work without one.
Caroline Brost, The Dictionary Project
2. fundamental; inherent
An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.
Edwin Land, 1909 – 1991
3. totally, without exception; perfect
A soul connection is a resonance between two people who respond to the essential beauty of each other’s individual natures.
From “Love and Awakening: Discovering the Sacred Path of Intimate Relationship” by John Welwood, 1943 –
4. containing an extract from a plant, drug, etc.
Essential oils are a natural, holistic way to address so many of the wellness issues that stem from the stress in our lives.
Hope Gillerman, ? –
5. related to a substance that is necessary for the growth of an organism, that must be obtained from diet because the body cannot produce it or enough of it
Fish, fish oils and some vegetable oils are rich sources of essential fatty acids.
From “Essential fatty acids as functional components of foods- a review” by Narinder Kaur, Vishal Chugh and Anil K. Gupta, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4190204/, March 21, 2012
6. of a disease, having no evident external cause
Essential hypertension is high blood pressure that doesn’t have a known secondary cause.
“Just the Essentials of Essential Hypertension” by Rose Kivi, https://www.healthline.com/health/essential-hypertension, 9-17-2018
noun
1. a necessity; something that is needed
Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
Joseph Addison, 1672 – 1719
2. a basic element
The essentials of leadership are all about the use of one’s talent in the interests of society.
James Gobbo, 1931 –
etymology
essential, ultimately from the Latin infinitive esse (to be) via essenti, the base of the Latin noun essentia (essence, substance), combined with the Latin adjectival suffix -alis, -ale (pertaining to, belonging to).
Thank you to Allen Ward for providing this etymology.
