Bouquet: A Bunch of Flowers, and the Smell of a Wine
A bouquet is an arranged bunch of flowers. In wine tasting the same word means the aroma that develops with age, as opposed to the younger scent called the nose.
A bouquet is flowers gathered and arranged to be given. The second sense belongs to the tasting room: in wine, bouquet is the complex smell that comes from ageing, while the simpler fruit smell of a young wine is its aroma.
- An arranged bunch of flowers. *A bouquet of white roses.*
- The aroma of a wine. *A bouquet of leather and tobacco.*
- A compliment (formal, usually plural). *Bouquets and brickbats.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bouquet | A bridal bouquet. |
| Plural | bouquets | Bouquets of lilies. |
| Related | posy | A small posy. |
| Related | corsage | A wrist corsage. |
| Related | aroma | A fresh aroma. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She threw her bouquet from the top of the stairs.The wedding custom.
- The wine has a rich bouquet.Tasting language, and always singular here.
- The review offered bouquets rather than brickbats.Praise rather than criticism — an older journalistic pairing.
Bouquet, posy, spray and wreath
- Bouquet — arranged to be carried or given
- Posy — a small bunch, often round and hand-held
- Spray — a loose arrangement following a branch shape
- Wreath — circular, associated with remembrance
From French *bouquet*, a little wood or thicket, from *bois*, wood. The pronunciation stays close to the French, boo-KAY, and the word has never been anglicised in spelling.
Bouquet or nose in wine?
Nose covers everything you smell. Bouquet is reserved for the developed aromas that come from bottle age.
How is bouquet pronounced?
Usually boo-KAY, occasionally bo-KAY. The final t is silent in both.