noun
1 basic/most important quality of sth
ADJECTIVE
▪ real , true , very
▪ divine , inner , spiritual
▪
The girl has her own spiritual ~.
▪ human
▪ pure
VERB + ESSENCE
▪ capture , distil , embody , encapsulate
▪
They distilled the ~ of their message into three principles.
▪
His paintings embody the very ~ of the post-war years.
▪ define
▪ grasp , understand
▪ convey , express , represent , reveal
▪ preserve
▪ miss
▪
His work misses the ~ of what Eastern religion is about.
▪ destroy , lose
PREPOSITION
▪ in ~
▪
His theory was not new in ~.
▪ ~ of
▪
The freedom to pick your leaders is the ~ of a democracy.
PHRASES
▪ of the ~
▪
Time is of the ~.
2 ( BrE ) concentrated substance ⇨ See also ↑ extract
ADJECTIVE
▪ almond , coffee , vanilla , etc.
▪ flower , herbal , plant
… OF ESSENCE
▪ drop
▪
Add a few drops of vanilla ~.
VERB + ESSENCE
▪ add , use