noun

• The inherent nature of a thing or idea.
• (philosophy) The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory.
• Constituent substance.
• A being; especially, a purely spiritual being.
• A significant feature of something.
• The concentrated form of a plant or drug obtained through a distillation process.
• An extract or concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter used for flavouring, or as a restorative.
• Fragrance, a perfume.
• A female given name of African-American usage.