Essential singularity

For essential singularities of real valued functions, see Classification of discontinuities.
Plot of the function exp(1/z), centered on the essential singularity at z = 0. The hue represents the complex argument, the luminance represents the absolute value. This plot shows how approaching the essential singularity from different directions yields different behaviors (as opposed to a pole, which, approached from any direction, would be uniformly white).
Model illustrating essential singularity of a complex function 6w = exp(1/(6z))

In complex analysis, an essential singularity of a function is a "severe" singularity near which the function exhibits striking behavior.

The category essential singularity is a "left-over" or default group of isolated singularities that are especially unmanageable: by definition they fit into neither of the other two categories of singularity that may be dealt with in some manner – removable singularities and poles. In practice some[who?] include non-isolated singularities too; those do not have a residue.