essence: [14] Essence and its derivative essential [14] are the English descendants of the Latin verb ‘to be’, esse (which came ultimately from the Indo-European base *es- ‘be’, source also of English is). From it was formed the abstract noun essentia ‘being, existence’, acquired by English through Old French essence. In the adjective essential, the sense ‘a(chǎn)bsolutely necessary’ developed via ‘inherent’ and ‘indispensable’ in the 16th century. => is
essence (n.)
late 14c., essencia (respelled late 15c. on French model), from Latin essentia "being, essence," abstract noun formed (to translate Greek ousia "being, essence") from essent-, present participle stem of esse "to be," from PIE *es- "to be" (cognates: Sanskrit asmi, Hittite eimi, Old Church Slavonic jesmi, Lithuanian esmi, Gothic imi, Old English eom "I am;" see be).
Originally "substance of the Trinity;" the general sense of "basic element of anything" is first recorded in English 1650s, though this is the underlying notion of the first English use of essential. Meaning "ingredient which gives something its particular character" is from c. 1600, especially of distilled oils from plants (1650s), hence "fragrance, perfume" (17c.). In 19c. U.S., essence-peddler could mean "medical salesman" and "skunk."
雙語(yǔ)例句
1. Though off-puttingly complicated in detail, local taxes are in essence simple.
雖然地稅在細(xì)節(jié)上復(fù)雜得要命，但在本質(zhì)上卻很簡(jiǎn)單。
來(lái)自柯林斯例句
2. Speed was of the essence in a project of this type.
對(duì)于這種項(xiàng)目來(lái)說(shuō)，速度至關(guān)重要。
來(lái)自柯林斯例句
3. Others claim that Ireland's very essence is expressed through the language.