the.com/essential
The word that means 'required' but is mostly used to justify wants.
means Describes something absolutely necessary to a thing's basic nature or function — without it, the whole purpose collapses.
from Traces back to Latin 'essentia' (being, essence), itself coined by philosophers to translate the Greek concept of 'ousia' — the fundamental nature of a thing. 'Essential' entered English via Late Latin 'essentialis,' originally a strictly philosophical term for whatever belongs to a thing's inner nature, before it loosened up and started describing snacks, oils, and skincare routines.
- etymology
- from essentia, the very being of a thing
- marketing trick
- oils and skincare weaponize it to feel non-negotiable
- legal flex
- pandemic-era label decided which jobs counted as real
- irony
- often describes things you can absolutely live without