- 1[uncountable] essence (of something) the most important quality or feature of something, that makes it what it is His paintings capture the essence of France. In essence (= when you consider the most important points), your situation isn't so different from mine.
- 2[uncountable, countable] a liquid taken from a plant, etc. that contains its smell and taste in a very strong form essence of rosewood see extract Idioms
necessary and very important In this situation time is of the essence (= we must do things as quickly as possible).
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