Inessentials

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Items or elements that are not necessary or fundamental; things considered superfluous or of little importance; components that can be omitted without affecting the essential whole
2. Objects or aspects lacking essential value or necessity; matters deemed unimportant or dispensable; parts that are not critical to the core purpose or function
3. Nonessential belongings or features that do not contribute significantly to the main purpose; trivial or secondary items; aspects that are optional or extraneous rather than vital

Etymology: The word is a plain formation: the prefix "in-", meaning "not", attached to "essential." That adjective descends from the Late Latin "essentialis," built on "essentia," a noun coined from the Latin verb "esse," "to be." So "essential" is, at root, a word about existence, and an "inessential" is literally a thing that does not belong to what something fundamentally is. The Latin-to-English line runs through "essentia" and "essentialis" before "essential" arrived in English, and "inessential" simply attaches the negating "in-" to that finished adjective. Its plural, "inessentials," is the form used for the set of such things, as in lists of what can be cut from a budget or a packing bag.

Synonyms: nonessentials, unnecessaries, luxuries, extras

Antonyms: essentials, necessities, requirements