Essential
/ɪˈsɛn.ʃəl/noun
Absolutely necessary; forming the core or indispensable nature of something.
Did you know?Its deeper ancestor is Latin essentia, a philosophical word built from esse, “to be,” so “essential” originally pointed to the very essence of being, not just “important.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁es-
“to be, exist”
Latin
Latin
esse
“to be”
Late Latin
Latin
essentialis
“of or pertaining to essence or being”
Old French
Old French
essentiel
“essential, necessary”
Middle English
English
essential
“necessary, indispensable”
Modern English
English
essential
“absolutely necessary; fundamental”