Essence
late Middle English: via Old French from Latin essentia, from esse ‘be’.
wiktionary
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 οὐσία(ousía, “being”), from ὤν(ṓn), present participle of εἰμί(eimí, “I am, exist”).
etymonline
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 root *es- "to 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."
