Perfume Means Through Smoke
Perfume is a fragrant liquid worn on the skin. The word records its origin in incense, which was burned rather than dabbed.
Perfume is a fragrant preparation, usually alcohol carrying scented oils. The name is older than the liquid: Latin *per fumum* means through smoke, because the first perfumes were incense burned in temples. The word survived the change from burning to wearing.
- A fragrant liquid worn on the body. *A bottle of perfume.*
- A pleasant smell. *The perfume of the garden.*
- To fill with fragrance. *Roses perfumed the room.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | perfume | French perfume. |
| Plural | perfumes | Rival perfumes. |
| Verb | perfume | Perfumed with jasmine. |
| Person | perfumer | A master perfumer. |
| Related | fragrance | A light fragrance. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She wears the same perfume every day.The product.
- The perfume of the lilacs filled the lane.Natural scent, a literary use.
- Eau de toilette is weaker than perfume.A matter of oil concentration.
Strength and structure
- Parfum — the strongest, 20 to 30 per cent oils
- Eau de parfum — around 15 to 20 per cent
- Eau de toilette — around 5 to 15 per cent
- Top notes — what you smell first, and briefly
- Base notes — what remains hours later
From French *parfum*, from Italian *parfumare*, to fill with smoke, from Latin *per*, through, and *fumus*, smoke — the same *fumus* as in *fume* and *fumigate*.
Perfume or fragrance?
Fragrance is the general word and is standard in the industry. Perfume usually means the strongest concentration, or the product generally.
Why do perfumes change through the day?
Because their components evaporate at different rates. Light top notes go first, heart notes follow, and heavy base notes last longest.