essential oil

essential oil

n.

A volatile oil, usually having the characteristic odor or flavor of the plant from which it is obtained, used to make perfumes and flavorings.

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essential oil

n

(Chemistry / Elements & Compounds) any of various volatile organic oils present in plants, usually containing terpenes and esters and having the odour or flavour of the plant from which they are extracted: used in flavouring and perfumery Compare fixed oil See also oleoresin

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essential oil  (-snshl)

Any of various volatile liquids, such as rose oil or lavender oil, that have a characteristic odor and are produced by plants. Essential oils are composed primarily of terpenes and of lesser quantities of alcohols, aldehydes, esters, phenols, and other compounds that impart particular odors or flavors. They are used to make perfumes, soaps, flavorings, and other products.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

essential oil - an oil having the odor or flavor of the plant from which it comes; used in perfume and flavorings volatile oil ilang-ilang - oil distilled from flowers of the ilang-ilang tree; used in perfumery bitter almond oil - pale yellow essential oil obtained from bitter almonds by distillation from almond cake or meal atar, athar, attar, ottar - essential oil or perfume obtained from flowers clove oil, oil of cloves - essential oil obtained from cloves and used to flavor medicines costus oil - a yellow volatile essential oil obtained from costusroot; used in perfumes eucalyptus oil - an essential oil obtained from the leaves of eucalypts oil of turpentine, spirit of turpentine, turps, turpentine - volatile liquid distilled from turpentine oleoresin; used as paint thinner and solvent and medicinally absinthe oil, wormwood oil - a dark bitter oil obtained from wormwood leaves; flavors absinthe liqueurs linalool - a colorless fragrant liquid found in many essential oils oil - a slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water