All 4 Uses of
essential
in
A Prayer for Owen Meany
- We never devoted the attention to spitting, or to tugging at our armpits and crotches, that is the essential expression of nervousness in the adult sport.†
p. 33.5 *essential = necessary or important or relating to the basic nature of something
- She actually held the door open for him; she even managed a charming curtsy—inappropriately girlish, but Harriet Wheelwright was gifted with those essentially regal properties that make the inappropriate gesture work ...those being facetiousness and sarcasm.†
p. 203.9essentially = basically (in all important respects; or relating to the basic nature of something)
- In Hester's case, she wore simple, expensive clothes—but more casually than the designer had intended, and the fit was never quite right; her body belonged in the jungle, covered only essentially, possibly with fur or grass.†
p. 297.8
- Georgian Bay: July 26, 1987—The Toronto Star says that President Reagan "actually led the first efforts to conceal essential details of his secret arms-for-hostages program and keep it alive after it became public."†
p. 437.5essential = necessary or important or relating to the basic nature of something
Definition:
necessary or important; or a basic and defining part of something