different between essence vs peculiarity

English

Etymology

From French essence, from Latin essentia (“the being or essence of a thing”), from an artificial formation of esse (“to be”), to translate Ancient Greek ????? (ousía, “being”), from ?? (?n), present participle of ???? (eimí, “I am, exist”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??s?ns/

Noun

essence (countable and uncountable, plural essences)

2. The inherent nature of a thing or idea.
   • 1713 September 21, Joseph Addison, The Guardian, collected in The Works of the Late Right Honorable Joseph Addison, volume IV, Birmingham: John Baskerville, published 1761, page 263:

     CHARITY is a virtue of the heart, and not of the hands, ?ays an old writer. Gifts and alms are the expre??ions, not the e??ence of this virtue.
3. (philosophy) The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory.
4. Constituent substance.
5. A being; especially, a purely spiritual being.
6. A significant feature of something.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

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

8. An extract or concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter used for flavouring.

9. Fragrance, a perfume.

Synonyms

• (inherent nature): quintessence, whatness; See also Thesaurus:essence
• (significant feature): gist, crux; See also Thesaurus:gist
• (fragrance): aroma, bouquet; See also Thesaurus:aroma

Derived terms

• in essence
• of the essence; time is of the essence

Related terms

• essential
• essentially
• essentialism
• quintessential

Translations

Further reading

• essence in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• essence in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• senesce

French

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin essentia. Sense 2 very likely from Latin ed? (“eat”), in the sense of 'what is eaten, fuel'. Many forms of the latter are indistinguishable from the former, and so the confusion with essence is very understandable.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e.s??s/, /?.s??s/

Noun

essence f (plural essences)

1. (philosophy, theology) essence
2. petrol, gasoline
3. essence, essential oil

Derived terms

• poste d'essence
• station essence

Further reading

• “essence” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• censées

English

Etymology

peculiar +? -ity

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /p??kjuli????ti/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p??kju?li?æ??ti/
• Rhymes: -æ??ti
• Hyphenation: pe?cu?li?ar?i?ty

Noun

peculiarity (countable and uncountable, plural peculiarities)

1. The quality or state of being peculiar; individuality; singularity.

   The peculiarity of meeting six people on a usually deserted trail only struck me later on.

2. That which is peculiar; a special and distinctive characteristic or habit; particularity.
   • 1853, Charlotte Brontë, Villette, Chapter 4:

     I had often heard of Miss Marchmont, and of her peculiarities (she had the character of being very eccentric), but till now had never seen her.

   • 1870, Louisa May Alcott, quoted in 2011, Daniel Shealy, Little Women Abroad: The Alcott Sisters' Letters from Europe, 1870-1871

     I thought Alice and H. J. P. would have fainted at the full spectacle; but we are fast getting used to the little peculiarities of foreigners and I trust they will forgive us many sins in return.

   • 1873, Specifications and Drawings of Patents Issued from the U.S. Patent Office

     The peculiarity of this invention consists in a means for varying the angle at which the plaiting-blade is held in the plaiter without varying the position of the entire instrument upon the sewing-machine.

3. Exclusive possession or right.

Translations