Etymograph

English

essence

Essence comes from Latin essentia ‘the being or essence of a thing’, from esse ‘to be’, and ultimately from Ancient Greek οὐσία ‘being’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEοὐσία1ousía‘being’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEesse1‘to be’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEessentia1‘the being or essence of a thing’artificial formation of esse
  4. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600essence1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500essence1
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1667essence1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English essence
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Milton, Book I: “For Spirits when they pleaſe / Can either Sex…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEοὐσίαWiktionary, English essenceousía‘being’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEesseWiktionary, English essence‘to be’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEessentiaWiktionary, English essence‘the being or essence of a thing’artificial formation of esse
  4. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600essenceWiktionary, English essence
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500essenceWiktionary, English essence
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1667essenceWiktionary, English essence. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Milton, Book I: “For Spirits when they pleaſe / Can either Sex…”

Linked words

through Latin esse ‘to be’

present, ens, 3 more

Today it means

noun The inherent nature of a thing or idea.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “essence”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek οὐσία / essence

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