- (a.) Hence, really existing; existent.
- (a.) Belonging to the essence or that which makes an object or class of objects, what it is.
- (a.) Important in the highest degree; indispensable to the attainment of an object; indispensably necessary.
- (a.) Necessary; indispensable; -- said of those tones which constitute a chord, in distinction from ornamental or passing tones.
- (a.) Idiopathic; independent of other diseases.
- (a.) Containing the essence or characteristic portion of a substance, as of a plant; highly rectified; pure; hence, unmixed; as, an essential oil.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). essential. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/essential/definitions/2004850 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "essential" http://smartdefine.org/essential/definitions/2004850 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, essential, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/essential/definitions/2004850>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "essential" 27 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/essential/definitions/2004850> |