What Does Essential Mean
We explain what is essential, the origin of the term and its current meaning. In addition, various synonyms and antonyms of the term.
What is being essential?
When we speak of something essential, we are affirming that it is something necessary, obligatory, indispensable , that is, it is not possible to do without it. The term is the antonym of expendable, which is that accessory, optional, that is neither necessary nor obligatory.
Both expendable and essential come from the Latin verb praescindere , composed of prae- (“before”, “forward”) and scindere (“cut”, “separate”), so that its primitive meaning has to do with what cannot separate, which cannot be "cut" into two parts and choose one, but is always attached, complete.
This figurative sense survives to this day. When we say that an object is essential to carry out an operation, we affirm that the latter cannot be carried out without said object: "A screwdriver is essential when removing a screw."
Similarly, a person or knowledge is essential when it is absolutely necessary to do something : "To win this game it will be essential to have a good forward" or "If you want to fix a computer it is essential to have technical knowledge ."
They are synonymous with essential: necessary, mandatory, forced, inevitable, indispensable. Instead, they are antonyms : expendable, optional, optional, dispensable, expendable.
Follow with: Reciprocal