Essence vs. Quintessence — What's the Difference?

Essence (Latin: essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it loses its identity. Essence is contrasted with accident: a property that the entity or substance has contingently, without which the substance can still retain its identity.

The pure, highly concentrated essence of a thing.

The intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, which determines its character

The purest or most typical instance

An extract or concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter and used for flavouring or scent

In ancient and medieval philosophy, the fifth and highest essence after the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water, thought to be the substance of the heavenly bodies and latent in all things.

The intrinsic or indispensable quality or qualities that serve to characterize or identify something

A form of dark energy due to a hypothetical scalar field that permeates all space, the energy density of which varies across space and time, in contrast to the cosmological constant.

(Philosophy) The inherent, unchanging nature of a thing or class of things, especially as contrasted with its existence.

A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype.

The most important part or aspect of something

A pure substance.

An extract that has the fundamental properties of a substance in concentrated form.

The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form.

Such an extract in a solution of alcohol.

(alchemy) The fifth alchemical element, or essence, after earth, air, fire, and water that fills the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere.

A perfume or scent.

(physics) A hypothetical form of dark energy postulated to explain observations of an accelerating universe.

One that has or shows an abundance of a quality as if highly concentrated

(transitive) To reduce to its purest and most concentrated essence.

Something that exists, especially a spiritual or incorporeal entity.

The fifth or last and highest essence or power in a natural body. See Ferment oils, under Ferment.

The inherent nature of a thing or idea.

Hence: An extract from anything, containing its rarest virtue, or most subtle and essential constituent in a small quantity; pure or concentrated essence.

(philosophy) The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory.

The most characteristic form or most perfect example of some type of object.

Constituent substance.

To distil or extract as a quintessence; to reduce to a quintessence.

A being; especially, a purely spiritual being.

The fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies

A significant feature of something.

The purest and most concentrated essence of something

The concentrated form of a plant or drug obtained through a distillation process.

The most typical example or representative of a type

An extract or concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter used for flavouring, or as a restorative.

Fragrance, a perfume.

The constituent elementary notions which constitute a complex notion, and must be enumerated to define it; sometimes called the nominal essence.

The constituent quality or qualities which belong to any object, or class of objects, or on which they depend for being what they are (distinguished as real essence); the real being, divested of all logical accidents; that quality which constitutes or marks the true nature of anything; distinctive character; hence, virtue or quality of a thing, separated from its grosser parts.

Constituent substance.

A being; esp., a purely spiritual being.

The predominant qualities or virtues of a plant or drug, extracted and refined from grosser matter; or, more strictly, the solution in spirits of wine of a volatile or essential oil; as, the essence of mint, and the like.

Perfume; odor; scent; or the volatile matter constituting perfume.

To perfume; to scent.

The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience;

Any substance possessing to a high degree the predominant properties of a plant or drug or other natural product from which it is extracted

The central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

A toiletry that emits and diffuses a fragrant odor