Purpose vs Essence - What's the difference?
purpose | essence | Related terms |
An object to be reached; a target; an aim; a goal.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=
, volume=188, issue=26, page=6, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly)
, title= A result that is desired; an intention.
The act of intending to do something; resolution; determination.
* 2013 , Phil McNulty, "[http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23830980]", BBC Sport , 1 September 2013:
* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author=
, title= The subject of discourse; the point at issue.
The reason for which something is done, or the reason it is done in a particular way.
(obsolete) Instance; example.
Have set as one's purpose; resolve to accomplish; intend; plan.
* Macaulay
(passive ) Designed for some purpose.
(obsolete) To have a purpose or intention; to discourse.
(senseid)The inherent nature of a thing or idea.
* Landor
* Addison
* Courthorpe
(philosophy) The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory.
Constituent substance.
* Milton
A being; especially, a purely spiritual being.
* Milton
* Washington Irving
A significant feature of something.
The concentrated form of a plant or drug obtained through a distillation process.
* essence of Jojoba
Fragrance, a perfume.
* Alexander Pope
As nouns the difference between purpose and essence
is that purpose is an object to be reached; a target; an aim; a goal while essence is (inherent nature)The inherent nature of a thing or idea.As a verb purpose
is have set as one's purpose; resolve to accomplish; intend; plan.purpose
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)Ed Pilkington
‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told, passage=In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.}}
- United began with more purpose in the early phase of the second half and Liverpool were grateful for Glen Johnson's crucial block from Young's goalbound shot.
Sarah Glaz
Ode to Prime Numbers, volume=101, issue=4, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers. Others play with primes’ cultural associations. Still others derive their structure from mathematical patterns involving primes.}}
- (Spenser)
- The purpose of turning off the lights overnight is to save energy.
Synonyms
* (target ): aim, goal, object, target * (intention ): aim, plan, intention * (determination ): determination, intention, resolution * (subject of discourse ): matter, subject, topic * (reason for doing something ): reason * See alsoDerived terms
(terms derived from purpose) * all-purpose * common purpose * cross-purpose * fit for purpose * for all intents and purposes * game with a purpose * general-purpose * infinitive of purpose * multi-purpose * metapurpose * purpose-built * purposeful * purposeless * purpose-like * purpose loan * purposely * purpose statement * on purposeEtymology 2
From (etyl)Verb
(purpos)- I purpose to write the history of England from the accession of King James the Second down to a time which is within the memory of men still living.
- (Spenser)
Derived terms
* purposed * purposer * purposive * on purposeSynonyms
* (have set as one's purpose ): aim, intend, mean, plan, set out * (designed for some purpose ): intendedReferences
* * *Statistics
*essence
English
Noun
(en noun)- The laws are at present, both in form and essence , the greatest curse that society labours under.
- Gifts and alms are the expressions, not the essence of this virtue [charity].
- The essence of Addison's humour is irony.
- Uncompounded is their essence pure.
- As far as gods and heavenly essences / Can perish.
- He had been indulging in fanciful speculations on spiritual essences , until he had an ideal world of his own around him.
- Nor let the essences exhale.